Collateral
by avietar
Summary: Different worlds move together. The search for motives underneath the underneath... it has never been explained quite like this before. In a city filled with corruption, Sasori is going about his own underground life where there is no place for sympathy
1. I, Found

_Different worlds move together. The search for motives underneath the underneath... it has never been explained quite like this before. _

_At a boarding school, Sakura is the new student trying to find her way in the dangerous pool she has been thrown into._

* * *

I, Found

Here I was. Finally I had arrived at the school.

Standing at the gates, I could already tell that this was it. It really was quite the school, consisting of imposing buildings and harboring a lot of space on the inside of the fancy fences surrounding the school grounds.

After taking a deep breath and clutching my bag tightly for a moment, I began to walk to the main entrance—which was rather easy to find, for the path I stood on went straight to it. However, it was not a short walk, even though the path was straight. Ah, and the entrance looked so close!

While walking, I took a look around me. The path I was walking on was lined with trees and occasionally there was a path that led sidewards, around the buildings was my guess. The entire area in front of the main building was covered with grass, and enough trees to provide shadow when the sun hit down hard in summers—which wouldn't be too long from now, for it was spring.

Arriving at the main entrance of the three-storey-high main building, I pushed open one of the two double doors and stepped inside. Immediately my spirits went up when I saw that the inside was much airier than I had expected. It seemed like some sort of main hall. Not that far away in front of me was a wall that was entirely made of glass, with glass doors too, and with a high ceiling that made the whole area light and spacey.

Looking through the glass in fascination, I could see that this main building wasn't a solid block of bricks, like I had thought at first. Instead, it actually had the shape of the letter 'U', with the double doors I just entered at the very bottom. The open space in between the two arms of the building was also covered with grass, but not only that; there were also cherry trees to be found. The trees whose blossoms reflected the unusual color of my hair.

As I watched the pink blossoms wave slightly in the wind, a voice broke through my little reverie.

"Miss, can I help you with something?"

Startled, I quickly turned around and faced the woman sitting at a desk behind a glass window. Of course, I still had to check in; I had completely forgotten. Shaking my head at myself, I walked forward to where the woman was and stood in front of the window.

"Um, yes please. I just arrived here and... Well, here I am." I finished a bit awkwardly, but the woman got the point.

"So you're a new student. Could you tell me your name please?"

"Yes, of course. It's Sakura Haruno."

I waited as the woman typed my name in her computer and she looked at some things. "Ah, here you are. Sakura Haruno, sixteen years old, transferred from a regular school." A couple of clicks later, something was printed and she gave me some papers. "Here. These are some standard files you'll have to fill in, just return them here when you're done, and this," the woman held up a paper with a map on it, "Is the map of the school buildings and the dorms. Last but not least, your schedule."

She handed me the papers and then looked something up on the computer again. "Your room number is 433, can you remember that or do you want me to write it down for you?" Write it down? What did she think I was, a child?

"No thanks, I'll remember it."

The woman smiled, apparently noticing my indignation. "Well then, your dorm is on the third floor. You'll find your uniforms already there. Good luck!"

I decided to smile back. After all, this woman had been kind, aside from that comment. Then again, that may as well have been my interpretation.

I chose to go left when I walked away, and soon—around the corner, actually—I found a staircase and began making my way up. On my trek upwards I noticed, as I passed several floors, that the third floor rooms were numbered with 4-something, like my room; 433. The second floor rooms were numbered with 3- and the first floor rooms with 2-. Good to remember, I told myself. Apparently this entire building consisted of dorms, except for downstairs.

Finally reaching my room, I opened the door, got inside, dumped my bag on the bed and then fell down myself. Headfirst into a pillow. Hmm...nice. After relaxing like this for a couple of minutes, I turned around to roll on my back, stared at the ceiling for a couple of seconds, then got bored and sat up.

My room was rather nice. Completely white, but that could and would soon be changed. I had a large closet against the wall opposite my bed, and next to my bed stood a nightstand with the keys to my room atop of it. Next to the keys lay a folder... of sorts. It seemed more like a guide to the school. I grabbed it and opened it before looking inside. Information, rules, holidays, festivities, classes... I'd read into that later. Tossing the folder aside, I sighed and looked to my window, which consisted of several pieces, took up one entire wall and had curtains with it. White ones, of course. Walking to the window I moved to open a part of it. Inhaling the fresh air, I looked outside. Well, the view couldn't be better. I could oversee the field with the cherry trees, and to my left I could see normal, green trees and... what looked like a pond. I couldn't see it clearly, though.

I leaned back from the window and only then noticed the big—white—cushioned chair. Not wasting a second I flopped down on it. Ah, very nice, large, soft and comfy... I cuddled up in it for a few moments, whereafter I got up to check out the rest of my room. The closet contained my uniforms, and I was happy to discover that they looked okay. A white shirt, white skirt, a black, white rimmed jacket and black over-knee socks plus shoes. Fairly nice and stylish, if I was one to talk. Moving on, I opened a door and found out I had my very own bathroom. Though it was small, it was also mine, which meant I didn't have to share; a fact I was very pleased of. And this was all there was to my room.

I closed the door to my bathroom and leaned against the wall, next to my closet. I still had an entire day to do whatever I wanted, since it was Sunday and midday had just begun. I smiled; this was the perfect chance to explore the school.

A boarding school. Was it really so different from a normal school? It couldn't be _that_ different, could it? I walked over to the bed and grabbed one of the papers spread on top of it. It was the map of Hinode Boarding School, the place I was to be calling my home for the rest of the year. It certainly was a lot more grotesque than Konoha High.

* * *

Closing the door of my room behind me and locking it, I made my way down the hall, map in hand while stuffing the keys in my pocket. This building was one of the buildings that was dedicated to the dorms—except for downstairs, all the way on the ground floor. I walked down the stairs while looking at my map. If I saw correctly, there had to be a lunchroom and a library down there. I guessed I could check those out first.

Putting the map down, I suddenly felt someone in front of me, and my eyes widened as I realized that because I was descending the stairs with one foot not touching the ground and having a momentum that a collision was unavoidable! No! But it was already too late. I collided with the person, who lost his footing and we both awkwardly stumbled slash fell down the stairs. Within a couple of seconds we came to a stop against the wall, where the staircase made a twist.

"Ow..." I slumped to the ground and sighed. Nice going, Sakura. Hopefully that other person hadn't gotten hurt.

That other person! My eyes snapped open—when had I closed them? I probably looked like an idiot—and I abruptly stood up and apologized. "I'm sorry! You aren't hurt, are you?"

The person, a guy with long blond hair that covered the left side of his face and with most of the rest of his hair up in a ponytail, stared at me with an annoyed expression. Well, he didn't look hurt. He did, however, look like he wanted to hurt me.

"I really am sorry," I added lamely.

"_Right_," came his reply. "Watch where you're going next time, hmm."

"I will," my gaze wandered to the ground. "And I'm sorry, again."

When I looked up, he was still standing there, continuing to watch me like a hawk—a rather murderous one—as if he couldn't believe that I was actually there. Then, as he made to walk away, a thought struck me. "Oh, wait! I have a question—" the guy didn't stop nor turned around; he merely walked on, "Um, where is everyone? See, I'm new here and I was wondering—"

"You're new?" he cut me off. Oh, so that caught his attention. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Apparently chivalry was only spent on new people. He had now walked towards me with a grin on his face, former annoyance completely forgotten.

"Ask me anything you want. Do you want a tour of the school, hmm? I'd be happy to show you around."

_Okay_... What a sudden change of demeanor. First he looked like he wanted to kill me, now he acted like I was the most fascinating creature alive.

But oh well, I didn't complain. "Sure, fine with me." What could be the harm?

His grin widened and he gave me a light push against my back. "Come on then! Oh, by the way, my name's Deidara."

I introduced myself too and then we walked all the way down the stairs while Deidara told me stuff about the building. Apparently the first floor dorms were girls only, the second floor was guys only, and I had, according to him, the best floor: mixed. He also had a room on the third, room number 419.

"Unfortunately, I have to share my room." We had reached downstairs and rounded the corner to arrive in the main hall, with the woman at the desk behind the glass window. It appeared she was talking to a boy. "Speak of the devil," Deidara said as we walked closer, loud enough for the boy to hear us.

"Hey, Sasori! Planning the rest of your week in?" Deidara smirked as the red haired boy turned to look at us with a frown plastered on his face.

"Yes, _planning_, of course," came the agitated reply.

"And you have some planning to do too, Deidara," the woman had spoken from behind the window. "When will you take your responsibility and show up for your hours of detention?"

Deidara turned to watch her, obviously displeased with her interference. "Hello to you too, _Shizune_." Said woman frowned at the way he spoke her name. "Thanks for reminding me. I'll get to it as soon as possible." His sweet tone was nearly unbearable.

Before Shizune was able to retort, Sasori spoke. "Who's that with you, Deidara?"

Immediately the blond spun around and faced me. "Ah, of course! This, Sasori, is Sakura. She's new here."

Sasori glanced at Deidara and nodded with a hint of a smile, before looking at me again. Out of nowhere, Deidara put his arm around my waist and pulled me flush against him. Unable to hide my surprise, I let out a stupid "Wha—?" before I was cut off by the bold blond.

"Isn't she adorable?" and he then proceeded with giving me a kiss on my forehead. My eyes widened and I froze, completely baffled. I heard Sasori chuckle softly and walk closer to us. "Cute indeed. Though, I think you should release her. Don't want her to faint on you, do you?" Deidara laughed and let me go, at which I took a relieved breath.

"Alright then. Sakura, still want the tour?"

I looked at him and all I could do was nod. He grinned at me and began walking to the right arm of the building, pulling me along with him, an arm securely around my waist. Not that he'd have to worry about me walking away. Sasori tagged along on Deidara's other side. For now, though, I didn't give him much attention. Hell, nothing held my attention at that moment. Nothing but my thoughts that were currently going rampage.

I had just arrived and already something like this was happening! I didn't know if these guys thought it normal to grab a random girl and kiss her on the forehead—which I thought to be a very big deal—and call her cute—in front of her! Of me!—and then nonchalantly walking around while holding her around her waist without even so much as inquiring what said girl—ME!—thought about all of this. I certainly didn't. Not that I had much experience with those of the other gender, but, well, this couldn't be the normal way of doing things. Right? Maybe I was just really naive. Or maybe Deidara and Sasori were womanizers and I had all rights to be suspicious. And every reason to feel like this... Whatever this 'this' might be.

Slowly, as we walked on, I had become somewhat more relaxed in Deidara's hold. I carefully glanced sideways at the two guys. They were both dressed casual, and both had a certain air around them... Hard to place, really. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but there was _something_ to it... And this 'something' was just a tiny bit unnerving, though also filled with confidence... Power, maybe. It felt as if a stampeding herd of angry bulls could come in their way and they'd still be left without so much as a scratch. As if they'd get away with anything they put their minds to.

There was this small sense that warned me as well. It said: 'danger'. Somewhere in the back of my mind. However, it was quickly ignored, stored away to investigate some other time or to be forgotten.

Deidara and Sasori were both handsome, I'd be the first to admit that fact. Deidara had that radiant sort of aura, or it simply was his hair, which had a golden blond color and stood out. His eyes shone with a bright, light blue color, and he seemed to have a permanent self confident smirk on his face—unless he was angry.

Sasori was different. He, like Deidara, was very attractive; with hazel brown eyes and wild, short reddish hair. His gaze seemed permanently bored with anything and everything. Or maybe he wasn't bored... Maybe it was more like a lazy, or relaxed expression. Like nothing in the world would be able to faze him even in the slightest. His aura was self confident, but it was kind of... dark. Then again, Deidara could be dark too, remembering the murderous look he had given me when I had accidentally knocked him—and myself—down the stairs.

To conclude my little observation: I guess I didn't mind being around them. For now, at least. After all, I barely knew them, and who was I to judge? Sure, for all I knew they may as well be very wrong people to hang around with, but was it really okay to assume the worst from the very beginning?

Deidara looked at me out of the corner of his eye and smiled. I gave a small smile back and looked forward again, slightly embarrassed that he had caught me staring. For now, at least, it didn't matter whether they were good or bad people to have around me. They were nice enough. In some way. For now, at least, I could live with that.

We reached two double doors after we had passed the entire large hallway. To the sides, next to the big windows that parted the wall evenly with the stone material that the latter was made of, were small tables surrounded with cushioned seats here and there. To the one side pink trees were visible through the windows, green trees on the other side. Thus far, this place seemed more like a hotel to me than a school.

When Deidara released me from his loose hold and opened one of the two double doors, I was reminded that this was indeed a school. Because why exactly would a hotel have such a grand library inside? It was huge, the feeling fortified due to the high ceiling, which allowed another story having been built against the walls. Everywhere I looked, shelves and showcases with books. It was amazing, and I guess it showed.

"Like it, hmm?" Deidara looked at me with an amused expression.

"Absolutely! I've never seen so many books at the same place; it's wonderful. I like to read, so I'll definitely visit this place often."

"Good to know. Then I'll know where to find you when you're not in your room." At this I raised an eyebrow. He wanted to look me up in my room? Deidara continued, "You won't find me in here very often. I only read when I have to." At that, he made a face. "I don't know where you get all that patience to read. I always get bored after a couple of pages. It's so monotonous..."

"Idiot," Sasori had spoken up, and I turned around to face him, "The fact that you can't even comprehend the beauty of a story shows just how much of an artistic sense you have."

Deidara narrowed his eyes. "Don't mock my artistic sense! Which is better than yours, should I add."

Sasori huffed. "Better than mine? Don't fool yourself. And I'm not mocking your _artistic sense_. I'm mocking you."

"What?" the blond snarled, "Why you little-"

"Calling me names, now? You're such as child."

"A child? Ha! I'm older than you, so if I'm a child, then what are you, hmm?"

"I said that when I was ten. You are so immature."

"Don't call me immature! You were the one picking a fight."

"You practically asked for it, brat."

"BRAT?"

* * *

As their argument got more intense, I disappeared between the rows of books. When I was far enough and deemed myself safe from getting involved in their argument about... About what, really? Anyway, I leaned against a showcase of books and sighed. So this was the reason Deidara hadn't been happy about rooming with Sasori. No wonder. Still, what made them go off at each other? The reason wasn't clear to me. Well, I had to find out later. Now, I was standing in the midst of a glorious place called library, and I was sure as hell going to check this place out before my time ran out and those two arguing hotheads found me and wanted me to choose which one of them was right.

Let's see, which section was I in? I picked up a random book and looked at the title. _Romeo and Juliet_. Putting it back, I grabbed another and read the title: _Three kisses_. Okay, apparently I found myself among the romances. I walked down the path and turned a few corners. I passed the dictionaries and encyclopedias and was now walking past the history books. I reached a wall which contained child stories and fairy tales. Smiling, I saw one of my favorites as a child: _Little red riding hood_. Walking on, I came upon a section of very old books, looking rather worse for wear, some of the titles barely readable.

Two paths crossed and I turned, now standing between futuristic and sci-fi novels. Looking at a few and setting them back, I walked on while letting my fingers trail over the rows of books. Suddenly my fingers got in touch with a book that stood out a bit and pulled it out. I watched as it fell on the floor with a thud. Bending down and picking it up, I was about to put it back in its place when I saw something behind the books, carefully hidden away by them. If it wasn't for the book that had fallen out, I wouldn't have noticed it. Curiosity getting the best of me, I tried to wriggle it out, but the other books prevented its release. Giving a yank, I successfully managed to free the, as I could see now, rather large black hardcover book, with the rest of the books on the shelf ungraciously falling to the ground.

Nicely done.

I sighed and then heard someone laugh softly. Spinning around, I saw Sasori leaning against a case of books, looking at me with a small smile. "Tried to get away from us?"

My eyes drifted away in slight guiltiness.

"I don't blame you, don't worry." I looked at him again, saw he still held that small smile—which looked rather good on him—and—I did not just think that—let out a relieved breath.

"So," I began, "who won your argument?"

"I did, naturally." I stared at him at those words and Sasori blinked. "Did I sound that full of myself?"

I smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Yeah."

Sasori laughed softly again, "Well, I didn't mean it like that. But it's true that I won, as I usually do."

"I see," I looked behind me for a second and then watched Sasori again, "Where's Deidara?"

"He went away, probably sulking somewhere." At this, I laughed. Deidara and sulking, I didn't think that was something possible.

"Now, gone just a couple of minutes and already making a mess?" The redhead eyed the ground with books sprawled upon it.

"Um, yeah... kind of."

"Kind of?" Sasori watched me amusedly—that happened a lot lately—before asking, "Need help with that?"

I was about to ask 'with what?', but then saw Sasori starting to pick the books up and placing them back on the shelf. "Oh, thanks." I told him, realizing I must have looked like an idiot, standing amidst a book covered floor and clutching—

"What is that in your hands?" When I look up, I immediately noticed Sasori was standing way closer than before and I jumped slightly.

"This? I found it... on the shelf... behind the books..."

Sasori glanced up at me and I thought I saw a faint hint of a smirk before he glanced at the book again and then took it gently out of my hands. Turning it, he opened the cover and turned the first few pages. Frowning slightly, he remarked that it had no title. Opening the book in the middle and then quickly weaving through the pages, his eyes widened a bit in fascination. "It is written by hand."

"Really?" How weird. Looking in the book as well, I saw that it was indeed hand written. "Interesting. It doesn't seem old and it's in a good shape. I'm gonna try it." I was resolute.

"Are you sure, Sakura?" Sasori clearly had doubts. "Maybe it's not a book meant to be read and someone accidentally left it here."

"And hid it like this?"

Sasori pondered it for a moment, "Hmm... you're right. And the fact that it was hidden only adds to curiosity."

"Exactly!" I was getting enthusiastic about reading the book. "So... how can I rent it?"

Sasori watched me and then his eyes wandered to somewhere behind me, "Usually you have to show your school ID to the librarian, but I don't think you've received it yet, have you?"

I shook my head, even though he wasn't looking at me.

"The librarian isn't around either, so my suggestion is..." he directed his gaze to me, his eyes staring into mine, "...take it."

My eyes widened and an alarm went off in my head, "Take it? As in..." my tone went hushed, "...stealing?"

Sasori smirked. "It's not stealing, because you're not going to keep it. It's really simple;" He put an arm around me and began walking. "Just come with me," We turned a few corners and I saw an exit I hadn't seen before. "We walk outside," he steered me towards the exit and pushed open the door, then pushed me outside and closed the door behind us. "And you're done."

Sasori was still smirking at me, and I felt increasingly more nervous. Every second now, yes, a loud sound would pierce the air and we'd be surrounded by angry guards or something, and then we'd be kicked out of school. And I had just gotten here! Seconds that felt like minutes passed and nothing happened. Sasori leaned against the wall of the building, watching me amusedly with a smirk, which was really starting to annoy me, while I was clutching the book in my hands tightly and stood like a statue. A rapidly breathing and very nervous statue, that is. More seconds passed, or were these actually minutes? Not that it mattered. Nothing was happening. Absolutely nothing.

A slight breeze moved some strands of my hair into my face and I finally moved to get them out of my sight.

"See, Sakura. Nothing happened. Relax."

I took a breath and sighed with relief.

Sasori got up from his position against the wall and walked to me. "It seems Deidara won't be finishing his grand tour today. Want me to walk you to your room, or did you still want to see something?"

Hmm... See something... I still wanted to see everything, actually. That was the whole point of getting out of my room in the first place. However, I couldn't keep walking around with that book in my hands... which wasn't even mine to begin with. That guy... How could he be so laid back about taking something that wasn't his? Or, well, mine in this case. I let out a breath once again and replied to him.

"I actually wanted to see everything today, but I can't keep running around with this... which isn't even mine." I couldn't keep the displeased frown from appearing.

Sasori rose an eyebrow. "Everything? It's impossible to see everything there is to this school in one day. I can, however, show you around a bit. As for the book," he leaned forward and looked into my eyes, "it is yours. For the time being at least."

Then he stood straight and turned his head to look somewhere else. I turned as well, and was surprised to see cherry trees. So that was where we were. But of course. Looking ahead I could see the high glass wall of the main hall. Then... I directed my gaze to the upper floor and soon found what I was looking for. An open window, my room.

"Then, shall we bring your book to your room first?"

I decided not to comment on the 'your book' part and smiled slightly, "Yeah, that's fine."

* * *

So he walked me back to my room. We walked down a path that went from one arm of the building to the other, between the pink trees. A door on the other arm of the building, at the end of the path, led to the lunchroom which was empty, save for my companion and I, and just three people who were chatting and drinking something. The lunchroom had double doors too, which led to a hallway with cushioned seats and small tables, and big windows here and there. Much like the hallway in the other arm of the building actually. At the end of the hallway was the stairs and we took it to the third floor. It was only a matter of seconds from there until we reached my room and I put the book on my bed. Only then did a thought occur to me.

"My map. I must have lost it somewhere..." The image of me and Deidara falling down the stairs came to me. Ah, of course. That's when...

"You mean this?"

A map—my map—was waved in front of my face. When I reached up to take it, the thing was lifted out of my reach. I whirled around to face the grinning redhead.

"Where did you find it? And give it back!"

"I found it on the stairs, all forgotten—" he held the map up high as I made a move to grab it, "—and why would I give it back to you?"

I scoffed. "Because it's mine!"

Sasori laughed softly at my antics to take back my map, which all failed.

"Come on!" I said, exasperated. "I'm not going to beg, if that's what you think."

I could almost hear him say it. 'Why yes, I think you will.' He smiled a teasing smile, as if daring me. Making a move to grab my map, and once again failing, I sighed and looked at him with annoyance. "...please."

Sasori's smile turned from teasing to smug. "Hmm... you're getting close. Yet, it's not enough. Tell me, if I return this to you, what do I get out of it?"

I contemplated for a moment. What could he possibly want from me? In other words, what could I give him? Quick, think of something! "Um... my everlasting gratitude?"

Sasori blinked. "Everlasting?"

No way. Did he really accept that lame answer? His smug smirk was gone and he looked serious. No, not serious. His facial expression was blank; I couldn't read him. His hand with my map lowered and he handed it to me. I accepted it and walked to my bed, then dropped the thing on it. Turning around, I eyed him strangely. "Thanks."

Sasori said nothing, merely nodded and headed for the door silently.

The atmosphere was slightly awkward afterward. Sasori walked me downstairs and we went through the main entrance to go outside. We took a path that led around the building and eventually reached the place where I knew was the library on the other side of the wall. However, we didn't turn to the left to go to the exit of the library. Rather, Sasori stepped off of the path and began walking forward on the grass. The ground went downhill a bit and more and more trees came in our way. After not too long a lake filled my sight, trees all around.

"One of the two little sanctuaries," Sasori told me, and broke the silence for the first time. It was like a weight was lifted and I felt at ease again. From that moment, we talked again, Sasori telling me stuff about the school and me asking questions which he answered. Well, most of them. While we took a hike around the lake, I got to learn a lot of things. Now, wasn't this much better than some flimsy folder? On the right, eastern side of the lake, barely visible because of the trees, was one of the two school buildings. It had an art room, and Sasori said it was the best class you could have. He and Deidara took that class, and their opinions on art caused major discussions. Behind the building were the sport fields, and across them was the indoor sport center. Left and right of that building were the two other dormitories. Apparently the dorms all had a name and there was some sense of competition between them. Our dorm was called the 'Dawn' dorm, left of the sports building was the 'Sun' dorm, and on the building's right was the 'Moon' dorm—the dorm where the teachers and staff resided.

When we had reached the far east side of the lake, I could see to the other side and behind the trees I saw another building, which Sasori explained to me was the other school building. The school only had one other building left, apart from the ones he already told me about. The building which contained the 'water stuff'. A big swimming pool, a sauna, and outdoor hot springs. I gaped at Sasori when he told me, but he kept telling me it was true. Unbelievable. However, no matter how surreal the idea was, I couldn't keep the smile from appearing on my face.

"Like it that much? Your smile is unnerving. What are you up to?"

Unnerving? I turned to watch Sasori. "What am I up to? I'm not the one wearing a smirk that makes me wonder whether or not to be afraid!"

Said persons smirk grew. "Are you accusing me of something?"

"If anyone is up to something," I leisurely spoke, "It would be you."

"Really now?"

"Really." I was still smiling, despite feeling just slightly unnerved by him. And he called me unnerving. I didn't even get near his level of unnerving-ness. I decided to switch the topic. "You know, I still don't know where everyone is. I only saw a couple of students in the lunchroom, but that was it."

"Multiple explanations are possible. The biggest reason is because most of the students are on a day trip. Also, not every student going to school here has a room and lives in this place. Some only stay here during weekdays and go home in weekends."

I nodded. "I see. But tell me, why are you and Deidara still here? Aren't you supposed to be on that trip the other students went on, too?"

Sasori huffed at this. "No."

He wasn't going to continue on, but I wanted to know. "But why?"

"Yes, why." He glanced at me, for the first time with slight annoyance. Apparently he didn't appreciate me prying.

I turned my gaze forward again and sighed shortly. Then, as I was about to tell him to tell me already, Sasori spoke.

"Deidara and I aren't really fond of following rules we do not like. We don't take orders from anyone. The teachers and higher ups don't appreciate that, and we get 'punished' a lot by detention and more such things. Desperate measures taken by desperate teachers, in order to try and discipline us. How foolish, but most of all idiotic. As such, we are not allowed to leave the school grounds. Then again, we are not allowed to leave our dorm either, unless we're going to class."

"Wait," I interrupted him, "So you're not even supposed to be here with me?"

"Exactly. But, as I said before, I do not care about rules I don't like."

Unbelievable. I looked at Sasori incredulously. How could he go and defy the rules just like that? Some part of me became more and more apprehensive of the two guys I met today. However, another part was amazed and curious and absolutely psyched about hanging around them. So they were bad boys. At my previous school, I tended to avoid those people. Yet, Sasori and Deidara seemed nice enough to me. Not at all like mean people.

"And even if I was allowed to leave the school grounds and go on that trip, why would I go? Tell me, Sakura. Why would I go on a trip with a bunch of immature, insolent little brats? Why would I waste my time being annoyed by them, when I can also spend my time somewhat more productively here?"

I didn't look at him. Okay, maybe he wasn't so not-mean as I had thought. "You don't like the other students?"

The response was immediate. "No."

I frowned a bit. "You do realize you're no better than everyone else, right?"

I heard him huff as if in indignation once again. "Dear Sakura, I am better than everyone else. Call me arrogant or selfish, it won't change my view on the matter."

I turned my head to look at him, disbelief and a small frown displayed on my face. Sasori was looking forward as he walked, a straight back, face lifted and a calm expression with a distant look in his eyes. Nothing indicated that he was joking around. He meant every word he said. I directed my gaze forward again, and adamantly pressed the matter on.

"Tell me, Sasori, why are you so special."

"That's quite simple, really. Physically I may be about the same age, but mentally I am far more mature than anyone else here." He sighed and continued. "Sometimes I wonder what I'm even doing here. Amongst all these youngsters, brats that are supposedly students, who tend to annoy me out of my mind."

Who would've thought. So Sasori thought himself better than everyone else. That was certainly a point of debate.

"Right. You know, I had heard of people who were narcissists, but I never would have thought I'd meet someone like that. Especially not in the form of somebody like you."

I glanced at Sasori and saw he was looking at me, eyebrow slightly raised. Then he directed his gaze forward again.

"I'm not a narcissist. I don't love myself. Although I admit I think myself better than the other students here, and some of the teachers too, might I add... I am not perfect."

I laughed slightly at his words, "Well, admitting it is the first step."

Sasori chuckled a bit as well. "Good to hear."

The next few minutes we walked in a comfortable silence, which Sasori eventually ended.

"Thank you for listening, by the way. And sorry for venting at you. Then again, you did question me..."

"I did," I responded. "And about me listening, it was no problem."

Sasori nodded, seemingly pleased. The silence returned. We still walked around the lake, now having reached the far west side. Our previous conversation replayed in my mind and I felt the need to, yet again, ask Sasori a question.

"Say, Sasori... Considering what you told me... You don't seem someone who is often listened to. Or am I wrong?"

I watched his face and gouged his reaction. Maybe it wasn't any of my business and I should stop asking personal stuff. But the thing was, I was curious.

"I guess I don't get as much appreciation as I would have liked."

"Ah, I see." What could one say to that?

And the conversation went dead again.

* * *

We walked all around the lake, speaking only once or twice. And so we reached our dorm building once again, after walking uphill a bit. Soon enough we came upon the arm of the building in which I knew was the cafeteria. Taking the same door as earlier, we entered. As I was about to walk straight to the double doors to go to my room, my arm was grabbed and I was stopped from doing so. Turning my head, I looked at Sasori questioningly.

"Aren't you hungry? It's the end of the afternoon and you haven't eaten anything yet since you arrived, have you?"

How did he know? Anyhow, however nice it was that he seemed to care whether I ate or not, right now I wanted to retreat to my room for a bit. To think over some stuff, including two certain guys, and to investigate the matter of the black book, which I had planned to start reading if it wasn't for Sasori stopping me right now. He didn't seem like someone who'd take 'no' for an answer. And though he hadn't actually asked a question or something, it felt like an indirect invitation to eat with him. Maybe a subtle declination...

"Um, I'm... not really hungry."

Of course my tummy, having had absolutely nothing since this morning, disagreed. Loudly.

Sasori probably couldn't help that smug grin that appeared upon hearing the grumble my tummy made. I told myself that, as Sasori pulled me after him to a table near a window and told me: "Of course you aren't."

Darn it. Trapped. Those were the words that went through my head when I plopped down in my seat and stared at the redhead who occupied the seat directly in front of me, on the other side of the table. He stared back at me, head leaning on his folded hands, elbows on the table. An expectant look.

"Well?" he inquired, "The table isn't going to serve itself. What do you want to eat?"

"Er..." Unfortunately, no getting away this time. "A small sandwich is fine."

Sasori nodded, "Alright." He paused, watching me. "...I guess I'll go get it, then..."

"Sure, thanks!" I flashed him a smile as Sasori shot me a weary glance and left to get me my sandwich. I observed my nails for a bit and suddenly looked up in surprise as a realization struck me. Sasori had expected me to get my own food, but instead I just sat here and stared at him dumbly like the oblivious light I was, expecting... well, expecting what, really? Expect my sandwich to just randomly pop out of nowhere? And because I acted like an oblivious idiot, Sasori decided to get me my food before I dropped dead, famished and by that time probably still not realizing that I had to get off my lazy ass to get food as not to starve myself.

While thinking, I had propped myself up on my arm, but now I let my head fall on my arms on the table in aggravation. "Ugh.."

Poor Sasori, having to put up with such a clueless person like me. I heard noise nearby and someone sat down opposite of me. So Sasori was back. I didn't look up, not wanting to see the look on his face. He was probably annoyed like hell.

I sighed. "I'm sorry for having you get my food, Sasori..."

A chuckle was heard. "You made him get your food for you?"

That certainly wasn't Sasori's voice. I looked up over my arms. Deidara was sitting there like he owned the world, grinning down at me.

"Nice." The words were spoken with appreciation. "So, after achieving such a feat, what's with the gloomy mood?" He proceeded to imitate me, resting his head on his arms, leaning on the table. "You should be glad." He said it in such a patronizing tone I couldn't help but laugh lightly. Deidara smiled at me. "See? Feel better already. Don't you, hmm?"

I got up from my slouched position and grinned. "Absolutely."

He followed my example and stretched his arms. "So, still want to see something of the school, hmm?"

"No need."

Deidara glanced sideways at the person who'd just returned. Sasori, complete with frown and sandwiches. "Ah, delivery boy returned." Sasori scowled upon hearing the nickname. The blond just continued. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Am I taking up your seat? Hmm?"

"Don't test your luck, _brat_."

The grin was immediately wiped off Deidara's face and replaced with a scowl of his own. Sasori, in return, allowed himself a more content expression when seeing this. "But no worries. You can have that seat."

After this, he seated himself next to me, while I kept my face carefully neutral. I watched Deidara's face and it was hard keeping my own face neutral when I could almost hear him think that why, damn it, hadn't he thought of that? Just for a few seconds, though. Then Deidara's face was surprisingly placid, yet his one visible eye still radiated pain and doom for the one he was staring at. Which was Sasori. Said person stared back calmly, unfazed by the still, unspoken threats. If anything, I think he was enjoying the fact that he railed the blond up so much. A thought that was strengthened when hearing the next sentence.

"I already gave Sakura a tour of the school. Just in case you were wondering."

Deidara's eye narrowed almost inconceivably. "Did you now, hmm."

"Yes. Everything."

"Everything, hmm?"

"_Everything.._"

Okay, what was this about? My eyes switched between Sasori and Deidara, who were intensely staring at each other. I blinked. "Um.." Both boys glanced at me. I don't exactly know why, but the way they were looking at me shut me up immediately; I couldn't utter a word.

The guys glanced at each other again for a couple of seconds, I felt like they were speaking a language I couldn't understand, and then they directed their attention to me once again.

"So..." Deidara began, eye inquisitive, "Did you like it, hmm?"

Why, oh damn the gods above, did I feel like this was about something entirely different than the tour around school? I answered anyway. "Yeah... I guess."

Deidara glanced at Sasori and raised his eyebrow, then he turned to me again.

"Okay. So, you feel like doing it again sometime, with me?"

I felt positively uncomfortable right now. "Sure, why not."

Deidara smiled at me and I couldn't help but wonder that maybe I hadn't agreed to a tour at all.

"Oh, here's your sandwich."

My attention snapped to Sasori who held out my sandwich, which I accepted. After another glance at the two, I started eating. When I swallowed my first bite, my tummy made a noise of grateful appreciation, and upon hearing it Deidara looked at me weirdly and after a "that's the second time" on Sasori's part the blond promptly burst out laughing. I managed a "not funny!" but I couldn't help but laugh with him. Sasori just smiled amusedly and began eating his sandwich too. Whatever tension there was earlier, it was gone now.

We stayed there at that table for a good hour or more. Deidara had gotten himself something to eat as well, and we talked and had fun, Sasori making snide comments—at Deidara—and Deidara in return viciously defended himself and mocked Sasori. I realized I wasn't verbally attacked by either of them. Although it was fun listening to their sharp arguments, I wanted to say something as well. Of course, that want was quickly crushed when I was asked my opinion and I found out that I wasn't in the very least coming close to their level of word-combat skills—that little conversation with me involved ended rather quickly with Deidara telling me "you know what, let us do the arguing" and me deciding that I should stick with peacemaking, what I did best—and I made the appropriate amendment by shutting up and listen to the pros.

* * *

The time went by like that, and I had much fun hearing the two guys do what they apparently did best: Arguing. Eventually, though, after getting us all something to drink once again, I told them I was going to my room. The cafeteria had gotten noisier as more people began coming in. It seemed that all, or most of the students had returned from their trip and they all wanted to eat. Which would only be logical, seeing that it was almost seven pm. But I had already eaten, I had had plenty of drinks—which were for free for attending students—and I wanted to call it a day.

"Going already, hmm?"

Sasori gave him a look. "It's not _already_, Deidara. We've been here for way over an hour." His tone made me think of the way a parent would talk to a child. Deidara seemed to think so too, as he glared indignantly at Sasori.

"I know that, hmm," and then in a lighter tone, "But it's nice sitting here,"—ah, so he found arguing _nice_—"so why won't you stay?"

I sighed and smiled at him. "It's been a long day. I just want to go back to my room and relax."

Deidara nodded, "Yeah, a long day..." he looked at Sasori with a quirked eyebrow and a mischievous smile, "I'm sure."

I turned to watch Sasori and saw he wore a small smile, almost a smirk—maybe it _was_...—and lazy eyes while he told Deidara a languidly spoken: "Absolutely." By now, I had decided not to think about those weird conversations. After all, they were guys. Who knew what went through their heads.

"Well," I said, making them turn their attention to me, "I'll be going now."

I stood up and left them to their own. Then, Iheard shuffling noises behind me and soon after an arm was around my shoulders, which took me by surprise.

"You thought you could get away that easily?" He chuckled, which I could feel since he was holding me, which felt weird, which rendered me speechless for a couple of moments which Deidara took as a sign that I couldn't come up with an answer. "I didn't think so, hmm."

"We'll walk you to your room," Sasori added.

I felt Deidara turn his head. "Yeah, _we_ will walk you to your room, as has been _democratically_ decided by one person."

Sasori came to walk at my other side. "What's wrong, Deidara? Do you have emotional problems with the fact that it's my second time today that I'm walking this pretty lady to her room? And democracy is a fluke anyway."

Some girls we passed by gave us looks as Sasori spoke his words and then glared at me. I felt Deidara huff in my neck which made me shiver slightly. "Um, is this really necessary?" I hoped they would stop being so clingy.

"Yes, this is necessary, hmm." Deidara held me tighter. "And no, Sasori, I don't have emotional problems. Jackass."

Said jackass merely smirked at him, replied with a smug "I'm glad you don't" and proceeded to put my hand in his. That is how we walked out of the cafeteria, leaving many a glare behind us and moving to my room. Less clingy? No. Uncomfortable? Very much so.

"Was that really necessary." It didn't really come out as a question, but I guess I hadn't intended for it to be. I felt exasperated at this point, having finally arrived at my door. I pulled my hand out of Sasori's and got out of Deidara's hold, then eyed them wearily. Seconds passed and the guys slowly formed a grin on their faces while I watched them. Eventually the answers came.

"Yep, really, hmm."

"Oh yes."

I blinked. "That might've been the first thing both of you agreed on today."

"Perceptive little girl," Sasori said while folding his arms and leaning against the wall.

"But I wonder if you saw _this_ coming, hmm."

I turned around, "Saw what—"

My eyes widened as I felt a soft pressure on my lips and saw Deidara's face very close. Even a girl like me knew that this could only mean one thing. His arms encircled me, holding me even closer, as I stood frozen once more.

He was kissing me, and I was shocked, didn't know what to do. Kiss him back? I felt his lips move against mine as his one blue eye looked at me with curiosity. I was sure my face was flushed. It had to be, by the way it felt. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, although to me it was as if it beat in my throat. Closing my eyes slightly, I began returning the kiss carefully.

After seconds that felt like minutes, Deidara pulled back and smirked at me. "You really are cute. Never been kissed before, hmm?"

If even possible, I felt my face heat up even more. Was it _that _obvious? "Um—"

A finger was pressed against my lips, preventing me from speaking. "Shh," Deidara told me while staring in my eyes, still wearing that annoying but admittedly sexy smirk, then glanced over my head at Sasori. "I know enough."

Then he let out a chuckle and got his finger off my lips, after which I took a deep breath for some reason, relief maybe, and Deidara laughed lightly. While still wearing that damned smirk. He suddenly leaned over and gave me a kiss on my forehead, then wove his hand through my hair and whispered in my ear, "Have a good evening, Sakura..."

He lingered a bit before getting his hand out of my hair and stepping aside, then walked away. Sasori got up from his position as well, gazing at me thoughtfully with an unreadable look on his face. Then he walked away in the same direction Deidara went.

"I'll see you tomorrow, little girl."

That was a promise; I could feel it in my gut.

* * *

Standing still for several minutes, staring at the wall Sasori had stood just moments ago, I let the events that just occurred to me sink in. When I felt well enough to move, I finally turned around to open the door and walk into my room, still in a slight daze. Closing the door behind me I walked to my bed and fell down on it. I let out a huge breath an reached for a pillow to clamp on.

I had just gotten my first kiss. By someone I didn't even know. Well, I knew who he was... No, not even that. I knew his name, and some of his views on the world, thinking back to his discussions with Sasori. I sighed. What had I gotten myself into? I shouldn't have kissed him back... Now he maybe thought I liked him! Which I... did.

I wasn't making sense.

Pulling my knees up, I felt them hit a hard surface. Searching with my hand for the object, I grabbed it and pulled it to my face. The black book. I sat up a bit, kicked off my shoes, put on a lamp so I could read, got out of my clothes, put on my pajamas, rearranged my pillow, climbed in bed and opened the book. The handwriting was neat and readable. Stretching and making myself comfortable, I started reading.

I could use a distraction right now.

* * *

The main idea is thought up and I know what's going to happen, along the lines of 'something like that'. I'll go with the flow~

The first three chapters serve as the introductions to this story. They are referred to as respectively part I, part II and part III and each part takes place in a different setting. I don't know about the definite pairing yet, but as you may have noticed: It's probably going to be either with Sasori or with Deidara.

Not every chapter is written from Sakura's perspective (the next chapter is in Sasori's) and I'm playing with the character's ages, so I suppose it's somewhat AU. Also, two of the three settings in which this story takes place are not in Narutoverse... So yeah, it _is_ AU. For those not familiar with this term: AU = Alternate Universe.

Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I enjoy writing it! Feel free to ask me anything, I'll gladly answer any questions thrown my way.

Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.** There, I've said it, I won't repeat it.


	2. II, Laconic little happenings

II, Laconic little happenings

~*~

I felt nice, comfortable and warm. Overall feeling: Pleasant.

Slowly opening my eyes, they adjusted to the darkness surrounding me. After laying still like that for several seconds, I turned my head and saw red glowing stripes that I identified as my alarm clock when my eyes narrowed and focused. It read 06:59. What impeccable timing. Reaching out and turning the alarm off, I was pleased to see the numbers change to 7 AM the moment I finished my action.

Pushing the blanket off of me, I sat up and stretched my arms, then stood up and walked to the bathroom. Switching the light on I shut my eyes immediately upon being momentarily blinded by the brightness enveloping the room. Feeling in front of me my hands touched upon the sink and I let myself lean on it. Slowly raising my head and then standing upright, I watched my reflection in the mirror.

The person looking back at me smiled charmingly when I did. Wild, short reddish brown hair, hazel eyes, a face with no inconsistencies whatsoever, and a pale skin which contrasted with the black pants I wore at night. Turning my face left and right while still keeping eye contact with the person in the mirror, I smiled once again, satisfied. Who knew how many girls would swoon at that look, or how many guys envied me for that matter. Quite funny, since I wasn't even trying. Ah well, it was not my fault for being born this perfect.

After washing and dressing myself in some casual clothes I found in the closet, I stuffed my wallet into one of the deep pockets of my jeans, went to the door and left my shabby room with items strewn all around behind me without a backward glance.

The dimly lit hallways I walked through were empty as always, the whole building seemingly devoid of life. It probably was... If there even were other inhabitants, I'd never seen them, nor did I care should I ever encounter them. The whole building could've been secretly assassinated and I still wouldn't care. They could just as well have been part of the walls. I went down the staircases all the way to ground zero, where I exited the building and in a flash found myself outside. The building didn't look any better from here than it did from the inside. Worthless.

The alleyway I walked through right now was filthy and wet, courtesy of the gray clouds that hung ominously in the sky, waiting for the moment they could let their heavy burden fall down to the earth. I wasn't about to wait for that moment; by that time I would be covered by a roof again. I turned the corner and resumed my way on the sidewalk alongside a road where slowly but surely the number of cars started increasing.

The city awoke and started its daily routine of going to work. Compared to most of the other parts of the city, this neighborhood was relatively quiet. No huge streams of traffic. Nobody right in his mind would choose to come here, and many residents did not work the way other people did, in the CBD. They had... other jobs, made their money in quite unorthodox ways. This fact in itself should tell book parts about where I lived, and how I lived. Then again, I was perfectly fine with that.

A couple of blocks away I entered a building, looking better for wear than the ruin I lived in. Once inside, I went straight for the elevator which took me up to the tenth floor. Stepping outside the elevator I walked the short way to the nearest door and entered. Anyone who'd enter this place would feel like they'd entered into an apartment of a millionaire; the black sofas, the wooden coffee table with imprints cut in the wood and glass on the tabletop, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, expensive looking paintings on the walls, soft carpets with intricate patterns on the floor and the exquisite ornaments adorning the room, plus the grand view out of the window really were things that'd make ones jaw drop in astonishment. Except for me. And I supposed neither would others who came here as often as I did.

Walking to one of the black sofas, I flopped down and stared out the grand window. I was pretty sure that this building was worth more money than the rest of the neighborhood was worth altogether. This place didn't seem to belong to this part of town, until you met the owner. He was the most cold hearted, blunt, practical, organized, strategic, money-obsessed man I knew. In other words, someone I respected.

I glanced around myself and only then did I notice the trail of wet smudges my feet had left behind on the carpets. Dammit. Kakuzu was gonna be pissed.

"Sasori..." Oh joy. "You'd better hope those stains are removable, or you're gonna have to buy me new ones."

I turned to gaze at the man who'd just entered the room and now glowered down at me. "And believe me, it _will_ be expensive."

I sighed, "Relax, Kakuzu, it's just water." Pray to the gods, let it be water. I wasn't about willing to pay for some stupid, over-priced carpets. "It'd better," Kakuzu growled. Then again, I couldn't blame the man for getting angry. If someone managed to even touch my property without my consent, I'd make them pay too. But not in the literal sense.

I heard some shuffling noises and a moment later Kakuzu sat on the sofa opposite of mine, laying some papers down on the table before sitting straight. "Your new assignment."

I picked up the papers and glanced them over. Some photographs were stuffed between the sheets that mostly contained information about the person photographed.

"When?" I asked.

"You've got two days. Of course, getting it done today will get you a bonus."

I smiled. "I'll get on it, then."

I stood up and fit the sheets and photographs into a pocket in my jacket. "You'll see me at the end of the day."

I opened the door but was stopped in my tracks by Kakuzu's voice. "Just one more thing."

Turning around I faced him again. "What is it?" It couldn't be something good if he'd waited to tell me until I'd almost left.

"You won't do this on your own," Great. Just great. "You'll meet him at Rain Side's."

I glared at Kakuzu. "Did you just decide this on your own?" I was sure the agitation was evident in my voice, clearly stating that I was not happy with this turn of events. I worked alone, and I was planning to keep it that way. I functioned better on my own than others did in teams. I did _not _function well in a team. Kakuzu knew this.

The air around the man changed, his expression darkened as it began raining outside. Kakuzu's tanned, light brown skin seemed to get paler thanks to the light outside, the dark stitches that covered his body looking more like the ugly scars they were, disfiguring the man in front of me, but now it suddenly made him look more threatening instead of almost pathetic. Of course, I already knew no one would dare mess with Kakuzu. Unless they actually _wanted_ to die. Kakuzu stared me in the eyes.

"You know I had nothing to do with this. This is an order of the higher ups, and as much as I know it'd be better if you stayed on your own, I have to comply. As should you."

I sighed, annoyed, but defeated. It wasn't because Kakuzu's deep grumbling voice left no room for arguing, even if it did, but more because I knew he was right, and no one wanted to go against the higher ups. That would be the equivalent of suicide, and believe it or not, even in my line of work, I didn't particularly care to die any of these days. I enjoyed life too much. My life that is. As much as I cared about myself, I really couldn't bring myself to care about anyone else. Respect was the most I could offer, and even that was something rarely given.

I turned around and said, "You'll see me tonight," before slamming the door.

I made the trip to the center of the city in one hour, taking the subway and the last part of the trip with the bus. I made my way through the crowded streets until I came upon a club called 'Rain Side'. It was stacked with people, even this early in the morning. The owner made good money: Kakuzu. I searched the inside with my eyes for my companion. Not seeing anything suspicious, I went to a lone table in the corner and sat down, grabbed the papers and photos out of my jacket and began reading.

So, my objective was a red haired, sixteen year old boy. Youngest son of the mayor of the neighboring city, went to high school here, lived here together with his older brother and sister. Didn't have much contact with their father but he kept them alive with a fair amount of money. I read the monthly funds. Why, thank you daddy. Spoiled children. As per usual, the reason why I had to go after this boy wasn't stated. Well, I didn't care anyway. A job was a job, a job meant money and money meant living. Eat or be eaten, the way of the world.

I put the papers down and leaned back in the chair. At the moment the boy was probably still at school. The administration desk inside the building most certainly kept files of the students. This was almost too easy... I'd find him in no time, get him alone and then... assignment complete. I turned my head slightly to glance at the clock. A quarter past nine. Still had loads of time today.

The obnoxious screeching of a chair being dragged over the floor pulled me out of my thoughts. A blond brat sat down at my table, smirking while looking at me.

"What do you want, brat?" Gone was the smirk. Good.

"I'm not a brat! You can—"

"_What_ are you then, brat?" I cut him off rudely. Hopefully that sent the message across that I was not in for bullshit and nobody yelled at me.

The blond brat glared at me now. "You are looking at your new partner, _buddy_, and I think I should be treated with some more respect."

I didn't skip a beat. "Respect is something you have to earn. Now, are you informed of our assignment?" I almost rolled my eyes when I said 'our'. I could do this on my own just fine. More than fine. The brat would just be a burden. At the end of the day he'd be begging for our little partnership to end. I'd make sure.

"Yeah, I do, hmm. In fact, our target goes to my old school which will make this a lot easier on you, I bet, hmm."

"I didn't think so. You'll only get in my way."

Who did this brat think he was? It was obvious he was new to this profession; his loud, irritating voice with annoying quirk in continuously saying 'hmm', his not so stealthy movements, emotion displayed on his face like an open book, and the hair... Very inconspicuous. Insert sarcasm there. The topknot and bangs in front of his left eye were hard to forget. This kid did not blend in with crowds. Huge disadvantage. "Say, brat," I began, "What are you even doing here?"

He stared at me like I'd missed something very obvious. "What do you _think_ I'm doing here?"

He'd taken the bait, I had multiple answers ready. "Annoying me. Getting in my way. Playing 'assassin'. Trying to get away from your miserable life which was just about getting worse the moment you set foot in this club." My eyes narrowed when my sentence drew to an end.

The brat almost scoffed. Almost. I could visibly see him getting angry while I sat with a placid look on my face. This, too, would be too easy. He finally seemed to have composed himself. "I am going to do my part—"

"What part?" I interrupted again, "You have no part."

He almost glowered at me now. That's it, loose control. "Do not interrupt me again, hm—"

"Is that a speech impediment of yours?" I was almost getting fun out of railing him up.

I saw his jaw clench tight shut while his blue eye shot fire at me. "No," he answered tightly, "A habit of mine. Got a problem with it?"

I remained silent for a couple of seconds while holding his gaze, letting the tension intensify.

"Yes," I answered, "And not only with that. I got a problem with you. You're nothing but a hindrance. I want you to leave this club, go back to whoever sent you and tell them you quit."

It was quiet then. The blond stared at me through narrowed eyes while I gazed back calmly. The silence seemed to drag. The other occupants of the club made noise, lots of noise, but it seemed to fade away into nothingness in its insignificance while I held the brat's eyes. And then, out of nowhere, he laughed.

A frown settled itself on my face. This kid was insane. But I'd get him to leave.

"You wish!"

No matter how long it'd take. No matter how many death threats were sent my way.

"Let's get going, I want to have this done by tonight."

I was not a babysitter. I'd be damned if I would get stuck with this highly annoying kid.

We stood and left for the exit. "By the way, I'm Deidara, nineteen years old, bomb expert, and artist extraordinaire!"

I glared sideways at the blond piece of garbage.

"My name is Sasori, I'm better than you are, and that's all you need to get into that thick skull of yours."

And then we were outside, walking to the nearest bus stop. The blond, Deidara, remained silent. What a relief.

It had just passed ten o'clock when we arrived at the school, Shodai Junior High. The school grounds were empty, save for the cars and bikes on the parking lot. Lessons must have been on, then. We went through the entrance and the administration was quick to be found. After waiting for a few minutes a woman came to ask if she would be of any help.

"Yes, please," I began before Deidara even had the chance to open his mouth, "I'm looking for someone, I have a message from his father."

"You're looking for who?"

"Gaara, Sabaku no Gaara."

"Ah, I see. Is it important? I can leave a message." She didn't trust us. So she had good instincts. Good for her.

Suddenly a piercing sound resounded through the school.

"You know what," I told the woman who seemed not bothered by the sound at all, as if she heard it all the time, "Never mind. I'll speak to him another time."

I turned around and saw the blond quirk an eyebrow at me.

"Follow me. We'll have to search for him." I spoke softly so that only the brat heard me. I didn't wait for confirmation and stalked to an open space where I guessed most of the students had to walk through to get to their next classes. Surely enough, within a minute there was barely room to stand anymore, the students crowded the area, pushing their way to their destination. I didn't budge, which earned me quite some stares, out of admiration or irritation, I didn't care to define, and curses or insults thrown my way. Normally I'd glare them away, but my eyes were occupied at the moment, busy searching for a certain redhead.

Soon enough I saw him trudging through, seemingly lost in his thoughts with his eyes closed. Not caring about the shouts of anger and pain I caused while harshly making my way to the boy—some kids even fell over, I noted—I grabbed the kid by his arm and quickly dragged him outside the building. Once there, I started talking to him. Getting him docile.

"Your father is in town. He sent my partner and myself to retrieve you and bring you to him. It's something important."

The boy stood there calmly, eyeing me with distrust. Finally, he spoke. "I don't want to see him."

He already turned and moved back inside the building. Fine, not playing docile? I'd take him by force, then. Within moments my fist in his gut had him gasping for air. He doubled over and fell to his knees.

"You will come with me."

The boy moaned in what I assumed was pain. I couldn't bring myself to pity him. We couldn't stay here much longer... It was too conspicuous. I glanced around me for a second. Where was the blond? Had he ran off? I yanked the kid off the ground and started pulling him with me, the boy offered no resistance. It'd be very convenient if little Deidara had indeed made a run for it. Saved me the trouble.

We were off the school grounds now, and I stalked down the sidewalk with the kid. We could take the subway to my part of town, where I'd off him and be conveniently close to the morgue as well.

A loud honk startled me a bit and a car pulled up to us. The window rolled down and an annoyingly familiar face came in view.

"I thought you could use a ride."

That voice, the smugness, that irritating smirk. No doubt about it. I opened the door to the backseat and shoved the kid in. I leaned into the car where the red haired boy silently tried to sit straight.

"Don't try anything."

My hiss was a warning. Not that it mattered, he'd die today anyway.

I slammed the door shut and got into the front passenger seat. As soon as I'd closed the door, Deidara hit the gas and the car sped forward.

I was silent for a couple of minutes, just watched the brat maneuver the car through the traffic agilely while maintaining high speed. Though I didn't usually care for it, I decided to fasten my seatbelt. Something about Deidara's driving made me want to take precautions.

"Stole the car?"

"Yeah," he answered, obviously proud. Good for him. What did he want now? A pat on the head?

"Where do you want me to go, hmm?" How nice of him to ask. I stared at him out of the corner of my eye, as if warning him with my gaze alone that he shouldn't try to play nice with me.

"Go in the direction of Kakuzu's. I'll tell you where to stop." He _did_ know where Kakuzu's place was, didn't he? I gazed at the blond skeptically. "If you know where to go, that is."

Deidara turned slightly to smile at me sheepishly. "Nah, not really. Could you give me another direction, hmm?"

I blinked, then sighed. "The morgue?"

"I know that place!" There was something about the way he said it that made me wonder just what exactly he'd done to get involved with my organization. He was way too cheerful for a subject so morose.

"You..." The soft voice caused me to glance over my shoulder at the red haired boy that had spoken up, his eyes closed. "You're not taking me to my father, are you..."

It should've been expected that he'd found out with the turn the conversation had taken. Not that it was hard to find out in the first place. "We aren't," I confirmed.

He didn't speak for the rest of the ride, and neither did Deidara and I. Small talk was useless enough in normal life, let alone in a situation such as ours at the moment. I recognized the run down buildings the second we passed them. We'd arrived. According to the digital clock in the car, it was around twelve. We were early, very early. This had gone as easy as I'd expected, even with the blond brat coming along.

"Turn right," I ordered. The blond complied without a word. The street we were in was deserted. Deidara slowed the car to a halt and I stepped out. The air was moist, it was going to rain again soon. I opened the backseat door. "Come out."

Slowly, the boy got out and stood. I didn't give him much time to adjust to standing again, for I grabbed his arm and instantly pulled him with me into an alley. I wanted to get this over with before it started raining.

When we were far enough to be out of immediate view for trespassers on the street, I let go of the kid and reached for an object in my jacket. Soon enough I'd found it and I turned around, knife in my hand.

I locked my eyes with the boy's greenish blue ones. Looking a victim in the eyes didn't bother me. It made my work a lot easier that faces did not haunt me in my sleep, or whatever happened with most people. If they appeared, you weren't cut out for this.

"Is this about my father?"

The boy didn't sound desperate or scared at all. Now that I took a better, closer look at him, I saw dark shadows underneath his eyes. Didn't sleep very well, then. Bad life, much? Maybe I was even doing him a favor with this.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully. But it wasn't important.

I stepped forward and pushed the boy against the wall, putting my knife at his throat. He closed his eyes, wore a calm expression. He'd accepted his faith.

I put pressure on the knife and dragged it cleanly along the boy's throat. Crimson liquid immediately flowed down from the angry red line made by the knife. The body slumped over and I caught it before it hit the ground, laying it down somewhat more gently. The boy had been extremely docile. No need to be careless. He'd earned some of my respect, I hadn't had such an easy kill in months.

A loud honk resounded through the alley. Impatient, wasn't he. Not that that was something unacceptable, for I was quite an impatient man as well. I watched as a pool of blood formed on the ground. I'd wait for most of the bleeding to stop so that the car wouldn't be ruined.

He honked again, three times now. Fine, who cared anyway? He stole the damn car.

I dragged the body to the car and dropped it on the backseats.

"Finally, hmm." I sat down in the passenger seat and slammed the door shut.

"This didn't take long at all, brat."

"Yes it did. I could've done this way faster."

"You would've made a mess."

The blond huffed and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, and I suppose you... Hey! He's bleeding all over my car!"

I rolled my eyes, "Your fault entirely."

"No it isn't! What the hell... No mess, huh? My car's ruined..."

I glanced at the backseats. The furniture was soaking the blood up like a sponge. "I had an idea this would happen. It was the reason I 'took so long'. Apparently I didn't take long enough, now did I?" I eyed Deidara with a hint of a smirk. "And since when is it your car? I thought you stole it."

He was glaring at me balefully. "I planned to keep it."

This time I all out smirked, "Too bad." I sat back in the seat, making myself comfortable.

"The morgue," I all but ordered. The feel of his glare trying to burn a hole through me made my mood lighten. He'd want to get away from me by tonight, most definitely. The car sped forward with alarming speed and we were off again.

The drive wasn't long. Truth be told, Deidara knew exactly where he was going. A fact I found both unsettling and interesting, it made me wonder.

We arrived quickly, the blond having raced with the car, undoubtedly to save the car from being assaulted by blood even more. Not that it mattered much; it was already too late.

The car stopped in front of a gate. Inside the building I could see a familiar man watching us. Deidara rolled his window down, put his arm out and made the 'rock on' sign with his hand after which the gate opened. The blond grinned and drove onto the property of the morgue, all the while I rolled my eyes. Familiar, much?

"Ugh," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. I didn't know much about this kid I was partnered with, but the one thing I thought, wanted to be certain of, was that he was an inexperienced newbie. Everything about his appearance screamed insolence, foolishness and immaturity. Then why, pray tell me, seemed a lot of his actions to point to expertise? It didn't make sense, and I didn't like not knowing.

I got out of the car when Deidara had stopped and parked. We were at the backside of the building where only personnel was allowed. I heard moaning behind me.

"Damn it..." A dull 'thump' as something heavy fell on the ground. "Sasori! You are _so_ going to pay for—"

"No way."

"Yes, you—"

"No."

One of the two double doors in front of me opened, ending the moronic discussion if my answer hadn't already, revealing the man who'd been staring at us when we arrived in front of the gate. He was bald, had a big, black, thick mustache, was quite tall and known to me by the name of Zangei. "Come on in," he said in a gruff voice, "I've been expecting you." As always.

I made the blond carry the body inside the building and into the dark chambers. We were just on time, for it started raining as soon as I closed the door behind me. Walking down some stairs, we arrived in what seemed to be a cellar the morgue used to keep the corpses of their clients. However, not everybody in there was going to be buried or have a cremation while accompanied by their grieving loved ones. Our little Gaara being one of the many corpses that could act as proof.

"On here," the man's voice mumbled while a hand patted an empty, smooth surfaced table.

With a heavy sigh Deidara dropped the body unceremoniously on the table, then stretched his arms and walked away from the table where the corpse threatened to fall off of it had our bald companion failed to grab it in time. The tall man cleared his throat while laying the body down properly. "Typical..."

Zangei's response to Deidara's behavior was yet another confirmation of the blond's familiarity in my world.

"Say," he began, "is this..."

"Sabaku no Gaara," I told him.

The man's eyes widened slightly. "Big catch."

"And easy to get, too, hmm," Deidara added, to my annoyance.

"You didn't do anything, brat."

"Oh, and what about my grand escape with the car, hmm?" Oh, so _that_ was what it was. A grand theft auto impersonation.

"Exactly what I said. Nothing."

"You would have failed big time if I hadn't shown up—"

"Which reminds me, where'd you disappear to all of a sudden? Any so called partner of mine is to stick with me unless I specifically order otherwise."

"And who made you superior to me, huh?" Was he getting angry? Already?

"No one 'made' me superior to you." This seemed to satisfy Deidara. But, unfortunately for him, I wasn't done yet. "The fact that I'm superior to you, or anyone else for that matter, safe for some exceptions, is an unspoken law. You either are or you don't, and I am. Don't worry, you can't do anything about it. Accept it or leave." Preferably the latter. Poor Deidara was trying his best to control himself. In vain, for I could see he was fuming inside.

"So you two have been partnered together? Not the most brilliant decision." Our bald companion spoke before Deidara had come up with a retort.

"I absolutely agree," is what I told him. "Unfortunately we'll have to deal with each other until the job's been completed."

Zangei nodded and proceeded with pushing the table with the corpse to another room, undoubtedly for storage, leaving me alone with the blond. It remained quiet for some time as we heard familiar noises coming out of the other room, and I sat myself down on another empty table. My eyes wandered across the room and observed the various utensils and other items used to treat dead bodies. Then they came upon the brat that was to be called my partner for the day. He was watching me.

We held each other's gaze for a while longer, before he spoke up and ended the silence between us. "You think we're only partnered for this one assignment, hmm?"

"I don't think so. I know it."

"Hah," he said, obviously either not believing me or disagreeing. Or both. "They didn't tell you much, did they?"

My eyes narrowed. Was that so? Did the brat think he got some kind of special treatment, think he was more favored than I, because he supposed he was more informed? Now _that_ was something I didn't believe. Fine, I'd bite.

"Oh, really? Please tell me, what part did I miss?"

Blinking confusingly at my polite tone, he told me. "It seems that our partnership will last for quite some time..."

He fell quiet, and I raised an eyebrow, urging him to continue. He took a breath, as if readying himself to reveal something I wasn't going to like. "It's kind of going to last forever. Or at least, until they tell us we're allowed to move on our own, or one of us dies."

The silence that followed was deafening, the sounds in the other room had stopped as well. Perhaps the man who'd been busily preparing the corpse wanted to hear my reaction too. Just great.

Well, damn them. Damn them all. Damn the blond brat for showing up, sapping away my previous freedom. Damn the organization for sending him in the first place. Damn Kakuzu for going along with it, for not opening his damn trap to defend me against those damn fools of higher ups while he wasn't afraid to speak when his beloved damn money was in jeopardy. After all, I, the one who faithfully completed every single assignment on my own, the one who goddamn _made_ his money, I was far less important. Damn it. Was this what I got for doing every job without complaint? For excelling above nearly all other assassins with my skill and expertise? My endless devotion? Damn them all. I wasn't going to go along with this.

I looked Deidara in the eye and chuckled lightly. His brows furrowed together a bit, my actions threw him off. "You know," I started, wearing a small smile, "This won't last forever. The words 'quite some time' aren't appropriate either. There are only two possible outcomes for this particular situation I'm finding myself in. I'll contact those responsible and convince them to make our collaboration undone, or you die. Soon."

The brat just stared at me. I heard the squeak as a door opened and Zangei came out, in his hands a briefcase that was undoubtedly filled with money. He walked over to me and handed it over. As I took it, he spoke in a quiet tone, though I was positive that Deidara was able to hear it too.

"Sasori, I've known you for a long time now. Life's faring well for you 'till now. You shouldn't mess it up."

My smile had disappeared and I was watching him with a weary expression. "There are lots of people who'd beg to differ on that point."

"Including you?" Was this guy trying to lecture me? I moved off the table to walk away, but the guy continued. "Maybe this change isn't all that bad. Deidara is a skilled kid." An indignant 'Hey!' erupted from the brat but nobody even looked his way. "Don't go up against them. Cope with it. You'll manage."

After this, he walked away, back to the corpse storage room, and closed the door behind him. I glared at his back all the while, then turned to glare at the blond who was watching me with a raised eyebrow. "What?" I snapped at him, then walked to the exit and told him to get going.

"Sasori," Deidara said when we were outside again. I turned to glance at him, hopefully my expression told him that he was threading on dangerous grounds. I wasn't quite feeling as tranquil as I had this morning.

"You won't do anything to me."

I abruptly stopped walking and faced him. "I won't? What makes you think that, brat?"

Deidara stared at me, a grin slowly formed on his face. "I'm sorry. What I meant was: You can try."

I felt the urge to growl, but held myself together and settled for a scowl directed at the blond brat. "_Deidara_," I made it sound as if I was talking about a disease, "You have no idea who you're messing with."

"And neither do you, hmm," he countered.

We stood there on the parking lot, staring each other down but neither of us giving in. I'm sure we stood there for a couple of minutes, before Deidara told me to get in the car with him. I let out a noise of disgust and answered with a no thanks. The annoying blond got in his stolen car and sped past me a moment later. I finally allowed myself to exhale a relieved breath and looked up at the cloudy sky while I cursed my so called companion in all the ways I could think of at the moment. I felt calm a minute or so after that. It had probably to do with me being alone again, for the first time since this morning. How could anyone stand being constantly surrounded by someone else?

I had left the grounds of the morgue and was walking down a street with parked cars along the sidewalks. I broke a window of one of them, got inside, turned off the alarm that had gone screaming and started the car. Soon enough I was rapidly on my way to Kakuzu's place.

There'd only been a couple of occasions where I'd been partnered, and that was when I'd first joined the organization. My partner had been Orochimaru, and after those first couple of days I'd never seen him again. According to the stories I'd heard from Kakuzu, the man had left the organization for reasons unknown, though Kakuzu seemed positive that it had something to do with another member of the organization. I hadn't minded Orochimaru all that much though, for we seemed to share some philosophies concerning life in general. He also wasn't all that talkative, and he hadn't exuded that irritating 'here-I-am!'-attitude which irked me to no end, whereas little Deidara did. It made me want to choke something.

There I was. I parked the car next to the sidewalk in front of the building where Kakuzu resided. I got out of the car with the briefcase and got inside the building where I made my familiar way up to the tenth floor. When I came inside the room and had closed the door behind me, I heard a deep rumbling in the nearby distance. A thunderstorm, no doubt.

"You've come. Early, as usual." Kakuzu had entered the room from his own private office, eyeing the briefcase in my hand. "You didn't encounter any hindrances?"

I deadpanned. "Yes, I did," and I gave the man his beloved briefcase.

Kakuzu set the briefcase on the low coffee table and opened it, rummaging through the paper bills and checking the authenticity. "Delight me."

I went to sit down on a sofa and mentioned just one name consisting of four syllables. "De-i-da-ra."

The briefcase was shut with what was probably a little too much force than was absolutely necessary. "Don't even bring it up," the tanned man said with an edge to his voice that resembled the word danger.

I felt my anger flare. Don't bring it up? "Kakuzu, you didn't even mention that I was stuck with that kid! Not just today as I'd previously thought... No, it's worse, it's every single damn assignment from now on. With that brat!" I practically seethed in front of Kakuzu, who gave me a sympathetic look, which was rare, but that didn't change anything about the situation at hand.

"Was today really so unbearable?" I assume that the look on my face was answer enough. Kakuzu sighed and sat back. "Deidara is a very capable young man. He doesn't whine, he's good at what he does, the boss is confident in his abilities. You know what that means?" He paused, letting the silence speak for itself. "The subject of your partner is not up for discussion."

My eyes narrowed. "I'll make it up for discussion."

"Sasori." Kakuzu glared at me now. I knew he wasn't content with the situation; after all, if something were to happen to either Deidara or me, he would loose precious money. "Don't. Just don't. Give it up, give in, whatever it is you're going to do, just don't go against orders. You know that." He closed his eyes and sighed with irritation. It was quiet for some time until he spoke again. "Tell me about today."

I leaned back as well, let out a breath filled with as much irritation as Kakuzu's, and turned my head to stare out of the window. "I went to Rain Side's, met the brat, went to the school, fetched the kid, offed him around twelve, went to the morgue, received the money, got rid of the brat and got back here." The day in a nutshell. I noticed Kakuzu staring at me and wondered what was wrong _now_.

"You got rid of him?"

I sighed and put a hand to my head, I could feel a headache coming. "He took his car and drove off. If I'd killed him, I wouldn't have been so agitated right now, don't you think?"

"I severely doubt that. If you'd killed him you would have been in deep shit right about now."

That was probably true, considering Deidara was apparently so adored by the higher ups. "I'm not going to apologize for acting this way. Today just really... sucked, for lack of a better word."

It was quiet then, and I could hear the deep rumble of thunder again, nearer this time. It started raining, too.

"Sasori, you sound like a brat."

Kakuzu's grumbling voice took me out of my reverie and I turned my head to face him, eyes widened somewhat. Did he really call me a... a brat? Me? "Excuse me, Kakuzu?" I ground out.

"You're acting like a brat. I'd thought you'd handle this more like a man."

His words hit home. Hard. I couldn't think of anything to say for a couple of moments, and just stared at him in disbelief. Luckily, I got myself together again before I'd made too much of a fool of myself. "Deidara's behavior is contagious," I managed eventually. "Bad influence."

Kakuzu only huffed. "Stop this already. It's getting—"

"I know, I know." This was getting ridiculous. Maybe I was getting too worked up over this. Perhaps I was really acting like a... like a stubborn brat. Still, the comparison made sickened me. I let out a breath, again. Fine, I'd compose myself as I always would, I'd deal with it. "Consider this dealt with," I told Kakuzu, suddenly feeling very tired. However, if Deidara did anything to piss me off, I wouldn't hold back. I wouldn't contain myself just because some important figure wanted him alive and dancing to the organization's will.

"You won't have any assignments for the following couple of days," Kakuzu noted. "Perhaps you should take the time to take it easy for a bit."

I looked up at him. "Take it easy?" What could he mean by that? I didn't care whether or not I had jobs to do. Killing was like second nature to me, easy as that, nothing exciting about it.

"You could go back to school."

I stared. I just stared. Sense left me for a moment. I couldn't think of anything to say. I was baffled.

Kakuzu took my silence as a cue to continue. "You're seventeen, though mentally you're far beyond anyone your age. I don't see you as a lesser person than one such as myself or any assassin twice your age. But maybe it'll do you good."

"It'd do me good?" Ah, so I could still use my voice. "I fail to see why."

"Just think about it. You'll be around others your age, perhaps you'll come to understand Deidara's way of thinking a bit more. Most importantly... Deidara no longer goes to school."

Like that. I nodded at Kakuzu. It felt good to know that despite everything, the man took my side after all. "For how long?"

The tanned man with stitches all over his body stood and picked up the briefcase. "Days, weeks, months, starting tomorrow. As long as you want. I'm sure that you'll get another job again in five days, but school might prove to be a nice distraction. You'll be able to combine both."

"Easily," I affirmed. As Kakuzu stood, so did I. "You'll contact me today?"

"I will," came the quick reply. "Keep your cellphone with you."

I nodded. It meant I had to get back to my apartment, and then I'd head out again to get something to eat, something I hadn't done the entire day. Not that it was such a disaster. I'd had days when I hadn't eaten at all. And really, why would I? If I still had enough energy to go on, why waste my time with trivial matters. "All right, I'll speak to you later."

The man nodded, then turned his back to me and walked into his office. I walked out the door and downstairs. Opening the door leading outside, I frowned when I remembered it was raining still. Why, oh why, hadn't I brought a coat with me? I let out an agitated breath, again. It never seemed to stop today, the sighing. I stepped outside in the rain and began my way back to my apartment, leaving the car where it stood. I wouldn't need a stolen, broken car anyway. The police would undoubtedly find it soon and take it.

The jacket I wore was quickly drenched with rainwater, and so were my jeans and hair. Not to mention every other inch of my body. I opened the door that lead inside the building I lived in and slouched upstairs. This was probably one of the few times that I was glad I was home again, never mind that this place couldn't really be called a home. I got inside my apartment and quickly made my way to the bathroom where I undressed and stepped into the shower. I closed the shower curtain and put on the hot water. For the first time that day I sighed out of bliss. I loved taking a hot shower, I'd never understood people who took cold showers. To wake up, my ass. To get a brain freeze is what that meant.

I'd stood underneath the shower for about twenty minutes when I got out, put on my bathrobe and walked into my so called living quarters. It really just consisted of only one room that contained the bed, a couch, some closets and a lot of stuff laying around. Speaking of which... I'd better organize everything and put it back in place. And so I went to work, cleaning up my shabby little room. The clothes were first, then the weapons sprawled across the floor. I'd been so smart as to keep the vials with poison off the floor, but I'd have to put them back where they belonged as well. Vials in boxes, put in compartments of a closet with lots of shelves that were ideal for storing many a thing that shouldn't lie around on the floor. After a small hour, I had everything neat and organized, perfect as a whole.

I took some clean clothes out of one of the closets and put them on, then opened a drawer of the nightstand with my alarm clock on top and grabbed my cellphone to put it on. Missed calls... Received messages... I deleted most of them. When I came upon a missed call of a very familiar phone number, I double checked. That number was my grandmother's. How the hell had she gotten my number?

I didn't have any time to give it more thought, for my phone began to play the calm tune of Rodrigo's Concerto du Aranjuez. I was being called. The number was Kakuzu's. I glanced at my alarm clock, and it read about 4 PM. Kakuzu had been quick, as was to be expected of him. If anything, he was thorough, just as I tended to be.

"Yes," I answered the phone. Kakuzu answered on his end of the line. He had taken care of everything, I could start tomorrow.

"_I've gotten you registered at Yuudai Junior High, I'll leave your background story up to you, just know that you've transferred from out of town. Contact me if you encounter any trouble."_

"I'll manage, and thanks for the effort, Kakuzu."

"_Don't worry about it."_ The line went dead.

I sat on my couch as I heard the thunder's roar high in the sky and close by. The rain beat against my window, but I had thick, dark curtains obscuring the view of the outside world. Wouldn't want anyone to be able to look inside my room. It occurred to me that the room could use some more light, so I switched on the lamp on the nightstand before I turned back to my cellphone and searched through the missed calls until I found the one I was looking for. There, my grandmother's. What could she have called for? More importantly, as I'd wondered before, how did she get my number in the first place.

I decided these were reasons enough to get out of my way and call her, as I rarely did. I only called her when I needed something and despite never seeing me and seldom speaking to me, she stayed eager to help me out. What more to wish for of a granny.

"_Hello,"_ resounded from the other side of the line, "_Whom am I speaking to?" _

"Hey granny," I answered smoothly, "It's your favorite grandson, Sasori." It was the truth, wasn't it? Of course, let's not forget I was her only grandson.

"_Ah, Sasori, sweetie! It's so good to hear your voice again. It's been so long..."_

"I know, granny." I supposed I could humor her. "How have you been?"

"_Well, you know how it is. Not much happens here with the old people."_ I heard her laugh through the phone. "_I think the most exciting thing that has happened is Ebizou here loosing his teeth in the toilet!" _More laughing ensued. I could hear an old man's voice, but couldn't discern what was said. Whatever the case was, my grandmother Chiyo only laughed more. I was glad none of those two were able to see my exasperated face. Wasn't I looking forward to growing old? No, not really. The prospect of turning out like them wasn't really appealing.

"Granny, why did you try to call me?"

"_Oh, it's been so long since you've come and visited. Wouldn't you want to...? My birthday is coming up and I would love to see my cute little grandson again."_

Should I go? What would be the use... Of course, she was old and I questioned her sanity, but she had a great vitality and was quite energetic for her age so I didn't think she'd die anytime soon. She was 73, if I remembered correctly. "What was the date again?"

"_Wonderful! Hey, little brother of mine,"_ I rolled my eyes. The man was 72 years old already, for god's sake. I heard them talking excitedly, but didn't catch what they were saying. "_It's the fifteenth of October,"_ Chiyo finally told me.

"I see," I answered her, "I'll try to be there. Can't know for certain, though." I stood and searched for a calendar, glad I had just gone through my room and cleaned it. Finding what I was looking for, I turned the pages until I reached October. "The fifteenth is on a Thursday. I might be busy with school by then." I bet she'd be delighted upon hearing that.

"_You're going to school again? Fantastic!"_ Just as I'd thought.

"Granny," I began again, with a serious tone this time, "How did you get this number."

It was silent on the other side of the line for a while, but I didn't once think that she'd missed it. She was far too sharp for that. "_I have my sources, sweetie. Can you think of what would happen if I couldn't contact you in an emergency?"_ She rambled on and on about situations that weren't likely to happen and I sat down on the couch again.

"Granny, stop it. This is getting an expensive phone call." Not that it mattered much. I had money in abundance. However, that was beside the point. I was just reminded of why exactly I disliked talking to my annoying grandmother. She had a way of getting on my bad side.

"_I'm sorry, sweetie."_ Stupid nickname. "_Well, I expect to see you soon! Good luck with school!"_

"Yes, granny. Goodbye." I quickly hung up on her.

I reclined on the couch, into the soft pillows, and listened to the constant rain pounding against my window. It hadn't stopped. I glanced on the alarm clock and saw that it was almost half past four. I could go out and get something to eat, waiting was useless for the rain wasn't about to let up anytime soon. I could also stay in my little apartment and think of my background story that I would use tomorrow. The roar of thunder resounded through the sky, soon after followed by a flash that I could see through a narrow crevice in the curtains. If I felt particularly bored, I could go to Rain Side's and see if there was anyone interesting I knew hanging around. I quickly shook off that idea, though. I wasn't that desperate. Maybe a quick nap before I'd head out for food. I decided I'd do just that and turned around to set the alarm for 6 o'clock before turning off the lamp. Then I nestled myself into the couch and comfortably drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

~*~

* * *

Chapter two! This means that the third is being written. I didn't really know how to start that one, but yesterday late at night, inspiration came to me!

This second chapter is very different from the first, it's in a very different setting. The previous chapter and this one are AU, but the following chapter is very, very canon, and very, very spoiler-y. Of course, I'll add my own little twists... I won't say in whose perspective it will be written--for I myself am still slightly in dubio.

After the next introducing chapter, the story will begin for real! I hope you'll enjoy^^


	3. III, Undying hope

III, Undying hope

~*~

A deep rumble tore through the sky, heavy with dark clouds as the rain descended down upon the earth. The thick drops fell down, quickly leaving the highest points of the tallest metal buildings behind them as they came down, soaking whatever they touched. The rain intensified, the rumbling grew louder, the ground became wetter, the overall view discouraging. The mood was depressing. All in all, it was like it had always been in the Rain Village. Back in my youth, the sky had mourned for the losses our country had to suffer, time to time, again and again. And even now, it was still crying.

I sat perched under an overhang of the tallest building. It was where I had often stood, watching my lifelong companion sit and look out over our city. Now he was gone, I was the one ruling the Rain Village, the one in control. Everyone listened to my every word, followed my commands. They all still viewed me as God's Angel. Even after said god had died. I supposed there wasn't any other decent leader that they wanted to put at the head of the village, and I myself, born and raised in this very country, cared enough that they kept following me and trusted my decisions.

But still... it felt strange to be here alone. I'd always had at least one of them with me, by my side. Now, I was the only one left. Every time I walked through the building to this place with the view over the city, I expected him to sit there like he always had. It was foolish, but I supposed I could have seen this coming. I'd always had them, and now they were both gone. The feeling that he would still be sitting there when I arrived at this place would fade away when given time.

Silently, I leaned forward over the railing, supporting myself with my elbows. The air was dense and heavy, the sky grayish blue as the dark clouds let their drops fall and cleanse the earth. I didn't particularly enjoy getting wet, so I stayed inside the sheltering metal structure. Yahiko would have made the rain stop for me.

I shook my head, shaking off the thought. Yahiko was gone, the sky's crying would continue as it always had. As if there never had been a man named Yahiko who had been able to stop it. It felt as if the sky was mocking him and everything he had wished and hoped for, everything he had wanted to achieve together with Nagato and I. Even when Yahiko had passed away, Nagato and I had continued to cherish his dreams and did everything in our powers to let them come true, no matter how twisted our ways had become. It had all been for the greater purpose.

And now, now Nagato was gone as well. To think that Yahiko's dreams were now passed on to the one that had fought everything we stood for. I smiled wryly. That boy was one strange kid. He had been our enemy, he had been our ticket to winning this war we'd been fighting. To think that it would end like this.

No, it hadn't ended. At the very least, it had just begun. Uzumaki Naruto would be the world's ticket to peace, of that I was certain. And he would achieve it not by fighting the war that we had, but with compassion and understanding. If there was such a thing as peace, he would find it. He wouldn't go back on his words. That was his ninja way. I smiled again while I stared through the rain. That boy truly was an odd one.

I believe that I'd been standing there for hours, and never did the rain stop, not once. If anything, it only seemed to intensify. I heard noise behind me, and turned my head around slightly to watch the man that had intruded. It was one of the loyal ninja that worked for me, completely soaked because of the rain. "Angel, I've come with news."

I turned my head back to stare outside again. "Do tell."

Undeterred that I wasn't looking at him, he did just that. "Ninja have returned from a hideout of Orochimaru's and came back with some scrolls containing useful jutsu. I didn't understand it all, but it has to do with resurrection techniques. It might interest you."

I was silent as I contemplated what he'd told me. "Yes, it would. Get those scrolls and bring them to me. Was that all?" This time it was he who was silent. "Well?"

"There are... ninja heading toward the village. Enemy ninja. They're Leaf nin."

Leaf ninja? "How many of them?" Could it be him?

"Two, as far as we know of."

"Have they been identified?" Just two ninja? That was too small for a squad. Apparently they weren't being stealthy either, to be noticed like that.

"Somewhat. I believe they said it was a blond kid with whisker like prints in his face and a pink haired girl. They thought it was the Hokage's apprentice."

I nodded almost imperceptibly. "Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura." I gazed through the rain as I mulled it over. "Let them in and direct them to me."

"Huh?" It must have been confusing to him. After all, they were Leaf ninja, enemies of Rain. Most ninja in Rain despised foreigners. "A-Are you sure?"

"Are you questioning me?"

"No! Of course not, Angel. I'll give the orders."

I had made a promise to that kid. Yahiko and Nagato had entrusted their dreams to him, so I would trust in him as well. Naruto would change the world, and the Rain Village would help him with that. If he needed help, he would get it from me, from us.

* * *

"Tell me everything you know about Sasuke! Since he seems to be a friend of yours."

Who was that? Sakura and I had been in the middle of a conversation with Sai, which was getting very interesting by the way, and then out of nowhere someone starts yelling at us. I quickly turned to face the newcomer. The first thing I saw was the sword pointed at Sakura. Moving on instinct, I moved forward and slapped the sword away. No one threatened Sakura like that, unless they wanted to deal with me. I glared at the girl who held the sword, dark skinned, yellow eyed and wearing a white kerchief with a headband I didn't recognize at first sight. I moved forward and made to elbow the girl, but another dark guy blocked my attack with the hilt of his sword. What were these guys doing here anyway?

I saw the girl getting ready to attack with her sword and prepared a Kage bunshin for myself.

"Don't cut them!" the dark skinned guy shouted to the girl. Oh, so they attacked us but didn't want to hurt us?

"I know," was the answer of the girl, but she slashed anyway. My clone grabbed the sword with his hands, surprising the girl, and Sakura came up from the other side to punch her. She'd get it now!

However, Sakura didn't even come close to the girl with the sword. As I saw that Sai was about to kick him, the guy disappeared and appeared again before Sakura, kicking her away. Immediately feeling a quick surge of despair, I went after her and caught her before she collided with the rock wall. I felt my clone poofing out of existance and a moment later Sai stood by my side. "What're you doing!?" It was said to the dark skinned guy and girl who were glaring at us.

"Cloud ninja...?" I heard Sakura mutter, after which she shouted a "What're you doing here?"

The guy answered quickly enough. "You were talking about Sasuke! Tell us about him!"

"What does it have to do with you?" I glanced at Sakura and looked back at the two standing before us. That's what I wondered as well.

"Everything!" the guy exclaimed, "Uchiha Sasuke attacked our village!"

I felt Sakura stiffen and my own eyes widened. Sasuke... He attacked their...? No way.

"That missing nin Uchiha took our master!" the yellow eyed girl continued, "We don't even know if he's dead or alive!"

"N-No way..." Sakura began, I couldn't believe it either. "Why would Sasuke... do that?"

"How should I know what Akatsuki wants!"

Akatsuki? What did they have to do with this? "What do you mean, Akatsuki?"

"Huh?" the girl said, seemingly surprised. "Are you kidding? Sasuke is a member of Akatsuki!"

Time stopped at that moment. It couldn't be. Our Sasuke... with Akatsuki? No...

"Raikage sent us here because you let that missing nin run free! We have permission from the Hokage to kill him now!"

Sasuke... attacked their master...? They're going to kill him...? I couldn't believe it.

"We will have our revenge! We'll destroy Uchiha!"

I felt a scowl coming at those words. Again, always the same thing. Revenge. Sasuke, what have you done? What happened to you?

A sword was pointed at us, it was the girl again, with a glare on her face. "Tell us everything you know about Sasuke, including his style and techniques. We need everything you've learned about Akatsuki and Sasuke's allies."

"Y-You've gotta be kidding! How could Sasuke be a member of Akatsuki?" Sakura couldn't believe it either.

"God, you're so annoying! What's Sasuke to you anyway?"

That was it, the final drop that caused an overflow. Sakura began crying, and I felt horrible because I didn't know what more I could do than just hold her. Why did all this have to happen now? I'd just regained some spirit, had made a plan... Well, not really, but I knew what I was going to do. We would go to Danzo and convince him to revoke his orders about Sasuke, and we'd go to head out and find Sasuke and we'd bring him back, no matter what. And I hadn't seen any reason as to why Danzo wouldn't agree, because Sasuke hadn't attacked the Leaf Village and I was absolutely positive that I'd succeed. And Tsunade had made a promise, Danzo couldn't make that undone just because granny was out of it at the moment.

But now... Sasuke had really done some stupid things. "Are you sure," I called out, sounding more confident than I felt.

"Yeah!" the girl shot back immediately, "We saw the Uchiha crest! The description matches up, too."

This was it, then. It'd be very hard to redeem Sasuke. I looked down at Sakura, who was crying still.

"What're you crying for?" the dark girl shouted out again, "I'm the one who wants to cry! Your crying won't bring Killerbee or Yugito back! If you've got time to cry, then tell me what you know about Sasuke!"

I felt too sad to dwell on the fact that she'd mentioned someone else, too. Yugito... Did Sasuke hurt her, too?

"Wait a minute." I glanced at Sai, who had done an excellent job of making himself partly invisible during the conversation. "Now that the order's been sent out to kill Sasuke, I'm sure the village will provide you with all the information you need. You don't need to pressure these guys for it..." Thanks, Sai.

"Yeah, they will! Our team leader's being briefed right now! We just thought we'd see if we could find out any more info. We can't just sit around! Not when we don't know what happened to our master! You guys can't understand how that feels!"

The words struck a chord. I _did_ know how that felt. I knew exactly how that felt. The image of my former master came into my mind's eye. _"I'm gonna avenge that pervy sage! I can't just sit around and wait!"_ My own words came back to me, sounding very much like what that girl had just said. Suddenly, a thought came to me. Akatsuki had sent Sasuke for their master... Killerbee. So that meant... "Is your master a host?"

"How did you know," the guy said, surprised. So I was right, then.

"I'm a host too," I answered him, "Akatsuki is going after all of us... This is my fight, too. Akatsuki wants the hosts alive, so your master may still be alive yet." A 'what?' and a 'really?' reached my ears and I saw smiles lit up their faces.

"You should try to rescue him before going after Sasuke," I told them. Not only would that give Sasuke more time, but maybe they'd get to their master in time, too.

"Are you sure?" the guy said, "Are you really, really sure?"

"I told you he wouldn't go down that easily," the girl said to him, practically gloating. I was pretty sure that she was right. If the guy was a host, I was sure he'd put up one hell of a fight. It was a bit disconcerting, though... that Sasuke had beaten him.

A blond woman jumped near us and ran to her teammates. "Omoi, Karui, have you found out anything?"

"Oh! Captain Samui," the guy responded, while the girl turned around.

"You're not causing trouble, are you?" The blond woman fixed them both with a glare, and the girl, apparently named Karui, started smiling awkwardly.

"More importantly, we found out Killerbee might still be alive! We've gotta rescue him! First we've gotta find out where Akatsuki's hideout is!" The guy sounded enthusiastic, but his leader kept a stoic expression.

"Then what?" she said to him, "What can we do against people who were able to capture Killerbee? Besides, what are we supposed to do, search their hideouts one by one? First we have to find out more information! We don't want a repeat of what happened with Yugito. We'll take our info to Raikage directly! There's too much to sort through ourselves."

I stayed silent as I watched them while I helped Sakura off the ground. "Are you all right, Sakura?" She nodded, and started dusting herself off.

"Come on, Karui, Omoi, let's go! We have permission to access all their info on Sasuke and Akatsuki. It'll take time to copy everything, so I'll need your help."

Both the dark skinned girl and guy nodded, and after a few furtive glances in our direction they took off. Sai, Sakura and I kept standing there for some more moments, processing what had just happened, I guessed. Those Cloud ninja would go after their master first, Killerbee. As long as there was still a chance that he was alive, he was their first priority. Sasuke would come after they had found their master... either dead or alive. Hopefully, if that Killerbee was still alive, they'd forget about Sasuke and leave him alone and he would be safe for a while.

"Naruto! Are you coming?"

"Huh?" I looked around and saw Sakura and Sai standing standing a couple of ways away from me, they'd already begun to walk away. I smiled a bit. Heh, I guessed I was the only one thinking, then. So I ran to catch up with them and we walked together along the water's edge. "Actually," I began, "I don't think it'll be of much use to go to Danzo..." Thinking about it, he'd probably never even listen to me, or to Sakura for that matter. "Let's go find Kakashi, I want to discuss something with him." Time was running out for Sasuke. He'd done some very bad things... and if Danzo had given those Cloud ninja permission to hunt down Sasuke... others would, too.

"So, you're just dropping Danzo all together? I thought we were going to convince him to lay off on Sasuke?"

I nodded slightly at Sakura's words while the three of us walked towards the makeshift camp for the villagers. "Yeah, but I don't think it'll help. He won't let us go." Wait a second, Sai would probably know! Even though he couldn't speak about Danzo, surely he had his own thoughts about how Danzo'd react if Sakura and I talked to him. "Sai," I turned my head to face him, "Would Danzo listen to us at all?"

He stared at me while he contemplated my question. "I... don't think so."

I turned to give Sakura a grin, one that said: Hah, look at that! "So let's go to Kakashi!"

Sakura let out a sigh. "What are you going to ask anyway?" Then again, even though she sounded like she thought this was a waste of her time, she kept walking along by my side.

"You'll see," I told her. If I explained now, she'd no doubt turn around after hitting me on the head. And so we walked to Kakashi, silent for most of the way with the exception of Sakura talking to Sai every now and then. I didn't catch most of it, for I was too deep in thought about what was going to have to happen from now on. With Tsunade not there to make everything right and Danzo only making everything worse, it was time to take matters into our own hands.

Turns out Kakashi was inside one of the tents discussing something with Yamato. Talk about convenience.

"Yo." Typically Kakashi. Yamato nodded at us after giving his own greeting.

I gave them a quick grin and closed the tent flap before walking further inside. "Hey Kakashi, hey Yamato."

Kakashi eyed Sai, who remained silent, and Sakura, who blinked and retorted, "Don't look at me! I don't know what Naruto's been planning." With this, she crossed her arms over her chest. And then all eyes were on me, as I'd expected. How to start this...

"All right," I began eventually, "I've been thinking, and I guess it's useless to go to Danzo. You were right, Kakashi." He gave a curt nod, and I continued. "So I'm planning to go after Sasuke as soon as possible."

Yamato give me an exasperated look and I saw Kakashi sigh. "And here I thought you were going to say something with some sense. An error on my part."

I gave Kakashi a glare. "Don't gimme that! Danzo has given the order to kill Sasuke! He doesn't have much time left. I know those Cloud ninja are going to search for their master first, so Sasuke's off the hook for now. But then, those guys won't be the only ones looking for Sasuke! We need to find him before anyone else does, or it might be too late!"

I knew Sakura would agree with me. At least, I thought she would, of all people. I saw her watching me with a doubtful expression, but she looked away when I caught her gaze and glanced at Kakashi. "I want to go after him, too..." she said, unsure of our former teacher's reaction. He remained silent.

"You think you can just leave the village and go after him?" Yamato spoke instead of Kakashi. "The five kage will hold the conference soon. Every village has place restrictions on missions and leaving the village! Moreover, the village's security is upped since the last attack. Danzo's made sure of it."

"I don't care." I held his gaze with my own, willing him to believe in me. "I must find Sasuke and bring him back. I _will_ bring him back." I smiled at this. I would succeed, I just knew it. But I guess Yamato just wouldn't have any of it.

"You don't even have your seal anymore! As the host, you shouldn't be allowed to leave the village! Besides, in the last battle, you got all the way up to eight tails! You're lucky the seal worked and held back the fox, but what about next time? And I have to help rebuild the village. I can't be with you all the time!" So that was it. He was worried about the fox, about me going rampage again. My smile disappeared as I thought back to just a couple of days ago, when Pain had attacked and I had nearly transformed into the Kyuubi. Eight tails had formed, I was too far gone to do anything about it. And then...

"I met the fourth."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock or disbelief, I couldn't tell. "He's the one who stopped me from becoming the nine tails." He was the one who saved me. At reliving the memory of him, I felt myself get all warm inside and I smiled again.

"Wh-What do you mean? The fourth is..."

"Not much is known about that technique he used," Kakashi cut Yamato off, "He must have put some of his energy inside Naruto at the end."

Then I remembered something, something important. My smile was wiped off my face. "...He told me the guy with the mask from Akatsuki was behind the fox attack 16 years ago! And he was so strong not even the fourth could do anything against him!" The one who had caused everything to go wrong. "He said that guy's behind everything! He was just using Pain. If Sasuke has joined Akatsuki, then he's probably using Sasuke, too." In other words... Sasuke was not to be blamed. Sure, he had still done some stupid stuff, but in the end, it was that masked guy manipulating everyone.

"It's just as Jiraiya feared," Kakashi said, "That's... who was behind the attack 16 years ago. He had the Sharingan. Madara is the only Uchiha missing nin who hated Konoha that much and had the power to control the fox."

"When it comes to Madara... I could believe just about anything. Even that he was still alive..."

Huh? Madara? Who were they talking about? _"Those eyes, and that vivid chakra... Just like Uchiha Madara..." _ Those had been the Kyuubi's words. "Who's Madara?"

Kakashi had an immediate answer ready. "The former leader of the Uchiha clan, who's said to have been defeated by the first Hokage." Well, apparently he hadn't. "We have to tell the elders. Sai?" Said guy answered with a yes. "You tell the Hokage."

"Oh, okay," Sai said. However, he didn't leave yet, opting to stay standing near the tent flap.

"Naruto?" I turned to look at Kakashi. "What did the fourth tell you?"

I blinked. "Huh?" What did he mean?

Kakashi just smiled, I noticed because his mask wrinkled a bit. "Fathers usually have things to say to their sons."

My eyes widened. So that's what he meant. I thought back to my dad and our conversation. "He said... he has faith in me!" A huge smile broke out, I couldn't help it. My dad trusted me and stood behind my decisions.

"Great!" Kakashi stuck his thumb up. "You go after Sasuke! Yamato and I will go with you, as will Sakura."

"What?!" Yamato exclaimed, while Sakura smiled and said: "Of course!"

I turned around and saw Sai still standing near the tent flap, looking thoughtful. "What about you, Sai?"

He didn't answer right away. "I won't leave the village. I'll tell Danzo about this Uchiha Madara... but I won't tell him about you and your plans. I suppose I'll say you left after I went to him with the information."

That guy... My massive grin shrunk in size and soon all that was left was a small, genuine smile. "Sai... Thanks."

He stared for a bit, slightly surprised, then smiled himself. "No problem."

Sai opened the flap and stepped outside, then disappeared out of sight. I turned and faced the others again, Yamato seeming to be the only one that looked tired, but he had accepted Kakashi's decision.

"I want to leave as soon as possible," I broke the silence.

Kakashi and Sakura nodded while Yamato sighed. "Well, I suggest that now we're going through with this, we'd better do it right," he said. "Let's leave at dusk, that gives us a couple of hours to prepare."

"Yes," Sakura agreed. "Where will we assemble?"

"Here, three hours from now," Kakashi suggested, "Don't pack too much stuff, we want to look as inconspicuous as possible. Take weapons and money with you, we'll get the rest we need on the way."

Everyone nodded and we left the tent after which we separated and each went to his own place to pack. As I ran through the devastated village left in ruins—by me, I realized that my little apartment was most likely demolished... But then, I was glad to see that reconstruction was in full progress, and many houses had risen from the ground. When I came came to my place, I was surprised to find it somewhat intact. I walked upstairs and opened the door, which hung on its hinges like it could fall out any time now. Coming inside, I saw that it looked like a battlefield, even more so than it normally did. The windows were broken and glass was spread over the floor along with books, pieces of wood, weapons and dust, lots of dust.

Walking to the window, or what was left of it, I gazed out over the village, again; what was left of it. Even when Orochimaru had attacked the village it hadn't looked nearly as devastated as it did now. To think that it had been just one person... True, said person had had multiple bodies, but still. Even an earthquake wouldn't have had nearly the same effect. I stood still like that, taking in the view of the village, before I turned and started picking up the weapons that lay scattered across the floor, and laid them on the bed. When I had collected everything, I gathered my pouches and stuffed them with the weapons, then tied them to my waist and started bandaging my leg where I tied my kunai pouch. Next was my wallet, which took a while to find, but I got it eventually... and found out it was nearly empty. Heh... oops.

A couple of hours later we all stood at the designated place under the blueish sky that had considerably darkened in just a short time. Dusk had come, it wouldn't be long before it would be dark and we'd be completely concealed from most eyes. Not all eyes, though, and the darkness alone wouldn't stop any skilled ninja from sensing us if we weren't careful. For as long as we were nearby the village our main priority was not to be noticed, because that would be the end of our non official mission.

"Evening," Kakashi greeted us all. "Not a cloud in the sky... Shall we take a walk?"

Sakura shot him a dubious look, as if she couldn't believe how see-through such a lame excuse was. I agreed with her, but resisted the urge to say something about it. That would totally kill the mission. Kakashi started walking away with his hands in his pockets, Yamato walking next to him who started a random conversation about how he heard that it was terrible weather at the moment to the west. Sakura and I followed them, trying to look relaxed, but I had the feeling that we weren't nearly succeeding as well as Kakashi and Yamato did. I opted for putting my hands behind my head, as I often did when casually strolling through the village. I hoped that whoever was watching would buy it. If there was even anyone watching at all.

Maybe I should start a conversation too, otherwise Sakura and I would look so out of place... "Hey, Sakura..." She raised her gaze from whatever she'd been watching on the ground and looked at me. I began to laugh awkwardly, not really knowing how she'd react to what I'd say next. "When I got home, I found my wallet which I brought with me because..." Sakura lifted a pink eyebrow. "Well, it doesn't really matter why I brought it..." Very smooth. "Uh, but anyway, I found out I'm out of money."

I stopped abruptly. Looking nervously sideways at Sakura, I noticed that her gaze wasn't on me but was instead focused somewhere ahead of us. I gave a small sigh of relief; she took it well. At least, I kept thinking that until I heard her voice.

"Out of money, huh?"

So sweet, but that edge... I felt myself starting to sweat upon hearing that tone. She was _not_ taking this well. Daring to look sideways again, my eyes locked with hers. I instantly froze. Shit... Smile, Naruto! Say something! Make it up—

"So you're saying that when we buy something to eat, _we_ will have to pay for _you_?"

—to her. Too late... I did manage a smile, though. Hopefully she'd forgive me.

"You idiot!" This yell was followed by her fist colliding with my head and a tremendous headache. Oh, did I mention I landed face first in the dirt?

"Sakura! I'm sorry! Wait up!" I scrambled up and ran after her to catch up. Yamato en Kakashi were looking at Sakura and me when I had gotten to them, each wearing an amused expression, as if they were totally used to it. Sakura had sighed, crossed her arms and started walking on, the other two resumed their walk too. I just walked silently beside Sakura, rubbing my head where she'd punched me. Whoever was watching us, _if_ someone was watching us, they'd better buy our scheme and think we acted realistically. Hell, the pain was _not_ faked! It couldn't get any more realistic than this.

We didn't encounter any ANBU or surveillance people, no one suspicious came our way, and Kakashi nor Yamato could sense anyone spying on us. Shikamaru walked past us once, asking what we were doing with the four of us, and Sakura replied convincingly that we were going out together, first for a walk and then to go and get dinner. I'd have believed it, and Shikamaru seemed to, too. After he had walked along in the opposite direction, we didn't encounter anyone familiar. It had gotten dark by the time that we'd arrived at the great wall surrounding our village. Or what was left of it. The part that we stood near to was a reconstruction site, the wall had been demolished here. Most of the men who had worked the entire day to rebuild had now left to go have dinner.

The four of us stood between some trees and bushes, covered by the dark while we watched the last remaining two men leave. This was our chance. Kakashi didn't say anything, he only motioned with his hand that we leave at that moment. In a flash we all moved to the wall and rushed through the immense gap that had yet to be rebuild. The few lights that were placed across the site barely caused for shadows on our part. Within moments, we had officially left the village's perimeter. We were outside.

However, we didn't stop. If anything, our speed increased as we leaped into the trees and jumped from branch to branch through the forest. Kakashi took a position in front of us and motioned with his hand to the northwest. No one talked as we changed our course and continued on. We'd probably try to get as far away as possible from the village before we'd stop for the night and get some sleep. I wondered how soon it'd be when someone discovered we had left.

We had run for about an hour when Kakashi tensed, and soon after Yamato and Sakura followed. What was going on? I concentrated on searching for the cause of their sudden stress and sensed some chakra signatures, but I couldn't really define them. I really sucked at these things.

Kakashi suddenly stopped on a branch and everyone halted quickly after. In front of us, a couple of branches away, four ANBU appeared. Dread filled me at the sight. This would all be over very quickly, either in a good way or a bad way.

"Hatake Kakashi," one of the ANBU said, "You and your companions turn around and head back to the village, pronto."

It was quiet then. Kakashi didn't answer, instead he turned his face so that he could take a look at me. I glared at the ANBU and then held Kakashi's gaze, frowning. He got the message. I wasn't willing to back down. We'd managed this far, and we'd go on.

Kakashi turned his gaze back to the ANBU. "We won't go back. Now, let us through and no harm will be done."

"It was not a question. Turn around. We will escort you back to the village."

I felt anger rise inside myself. They had no idea how important it was that we be let through to continue on. "We _won't_ go back, and you can't make us! Back off and let us pass!"

"I'm afraid we can't," came the reply.

In an instant, the four ANBU had disappeared and Kakashi yelled at Sakura and I to get down to the forest floor. Then Yamato gave Kakashi a nod and they both disappeared too. I didn't see any more because I had jumped off my branch and descended down to the ground along with Sakura, but I did hear the clanging as metal hit metal and the rustle of quick movement in the canopy above us. I landed swiftly on the forest floor and Sakura appeared next to me less then a second later. She quickly moved to stand back to back with me, and then we both watched our surroundings, alert for any kind of movement in the dark.

The sound of clanging above us subsided and was replaced by some sort of crunching sound which sounded very familiar; Yamato's wood technique. A nearby tree shuddered a bit before an unconscious body hit the ground. ANBU, I saw. Great, one down.

"Naruto! Left!"

Sakura's voice immediately had me looking left and I ducked just in time to see a kunai swish through the air above me and I heard it embed in a tree behind me. The ANBU before me rushed towards me, senbon in each hand. I shouted "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" and five copies of myself poofed out of thin air and rushed to the ANBU, who wasted his senbon on them. In the short moment that the ANBU was surrounded in the smoke of the dissipating clones, Sakura threw a punch at him which he blocked—what he probably immediately regretted as he flew backwards with at least two broken arms.

The ANBU collided with a tree trunk and slid down to the ground, but before Sakura could land another punch he had jumped to his feet and gone up into the tree, disappearing above the canopy. A moment later his unconscious body unceremoniously hit the ground, just like the other ANBU before him. Sakura ran to me after seeing this and I turned while she got my back again.

It became eerily silent in the forest, and the silence held a moment long when two figures landed gracefully on the ground. My stance relaxed when recognizing Kakashi and Yamato, wearing a few scratched but were otherwise okay.

"I had hoped this wouldn't happen," Kakashi began, sounding not really happy. "It complicates everything immensely."

"So what?" I said, just glad that the ANBU had been defeated and we could go on with our journey. "We already knew something like this could happen, and we already knew we weren't allowed to leave the village. It didn't stop us before, so why would it now?" We should continue on already!

"People have become involved," Yamato told us, "So we need a plan, quickly. We can't return to Konoha now that we've attacked our own. We'll need a damn good justification for this."

"Of course we have!" I yelled out. "We're gonna—"

"Quiet down, Naruto!" Sakura hissed at me. "Do you want to attract any more attention to us?"

"Yeah, okay, sorry," I said quickly, trying to make up for my slipping up. "But we're gonna continue on, right?"

"Yes, we will," Kakashi sighed, "But we need to realize that we can't go back to the Hidden Leaf for the time being. You'll get yourself locked up, Naruto. Not only will you be barred from leaving the village, but from having any freedom at all—which is exactly what Danzo wants. The rest of us are going to get imprisoned as well, and Danzo won't mind that at all because we're loyal followers of Tsunade and the third's teachings. His reign as Hokage will do better with us gone."

"In other words," Yamato began, "We need a place where we can fall back to, where we can regroup and come up with plans. Moreover, it has to be a place where Danzo won't be able to get to us."

Silence ensued as everyone thought about it.

"But... where can we find such a place?" Sakura sounded somewhat insecure about this. "And what about the others? Back in the village? Don't we have to tell them, or go all together... They know something fishy is going on, so should we leave them behind?"

It became silent again. I thought about what had been said. A place where Danzo couldn't get to us, where we could safely stay... Was there even such a place? The Leaf Village had always been our safe haven, so where else could we go? "Maybe we could go to wave country," I said. At least I was suggesting something.

Kakashi shook his head. "No, too obvious, and Danzo can get his people there easily. And we'll be recognized too. It's a no-go."

I sighed and brought my head up to rub my head. Where else...

A memory struck me. There _was_ a place! Just a couple of days ago the thought would have _never_ occurred to me, and anyone mentioning it wouldn't even have been taken seriously. But now...

"_Yahiko's dream... And Nagato's dream... If they've entrusted their dreams to you, then now you are their dreams. Nagato believed in you, so I believe in you, too. The Rain Village will help you make that dream come true."_

"The Rain Village."

"Excuse me?" Sakura said, not getting it. "You mean the village where Akatsuki's headquarters resided?" Her voice was full of disbelief.

I nodded. "Yeah, the Rain Village. Konan promised the Hidden Rain would help me."

Again, the silence after my words.

"You know what," Kakashi said, "That might actually work. Danzo wouldn't expect it, because he only knows that Akatsuki's headquarters is there, and Akatsuki is after you. He wouldn't suspect you'd go to the one place where you could possibly endanger your life."

"Except that we're not in danger," I added.

"Exactly," Kakashi confirmed. "And the Rain Village is powerful, secluded, hard to reach unless you've got help from inside..."

"It's perfect," Yamato said, seeming to be slightly awed that I'd brought it up. I supposed that was a compliment. "We should head there immediately, we've got no time to loose."

"Yes, you two should head there immediately." Kakashi gestured to Sakura and me.

"What?" Yamato exclaimed. Funny, that was the second time today. I wondered if he was ever getting tired of Kakashi surprising him.

"We," Kakashi motioned to Yamato and himself, "shall head back to the village to get others to come with us. I'm sure those of the former rookie nine will join us. You two continue on to Hidden Rain, we'll arrive shortly after you've reached the village."

Sakura took a deep breath and nodded, while I grinned at Kakashi. We'd definitely succeed.

"All right, see you soon, Kakashi, Yamato!"

I jumped up into the trees and sped off to the west, on to the Rain Village. Sakura appeared in my line of vision a couple of seconds later, gave me a quick smile and then we accelerated, on our way to a safe haven. Once we had reached that, we would make plans for getting to Sasuke, and in the end all would be well. We'd get Danzo to quit his position of Hokage and Tsunade would be appointed again, and everything would be okay again in our village. And when we had achieved that, it was only a couple of steps more to bring down Madara and end Akatsuki. Of course we'd encounter troubles on our way, we always did and always would, but we wouldn't be deterred.

We would succeed.

~*~

* * *

This chapter was somewhat shorter than the previous two, but hopefully that doesn't matter much. It's still nearly seven thousand words^^

With the following chapter, the story will begin for real! Introduction's over, the plot will start. As I did for this chapter, I'll put in my profile how far I've progressed with the next chapter. Don't expect me to update within the next two weeks, though. I'll go on my vacation to Sweden!

Enjoy~


	4. I, 1: Beginning of a new day

I

1, Beginning of a new day

~*~

The sound of a bell was heard all over the school grounds, where soon after the students appeared in their uniforms and scattered, off to their first lessons of the day. Breakfast time was over and a long day was ahead of everyone. Well... almost everyone. There were always the delinquents who liked their sleep more than their education.

In the western school building on the third floor in a classroom that looked out over the lake, a man with a mask covering the lower half of his face sat at his desk. An orange book was in his hands, but in this rare moment the man wasn't looking at its content. Instead he was staring outside and enjoying the morning sun shining over the forest and the lake.

Within the next couple of minutes the door to the classroom opened and students filed in, going to their own seats and some took out their books. The silver haired man sitting at the desk watched as they came, knowing every student by name. He was told that today he'd have a new student in his sophomore class, but as far as he could see, no one new had entered. All students had taken their seats, the door was still left open and would stay that way.

"All right, class," the man began, getting the attention of everyone. "Grab your books and open them at chapter eight." The kids opened their books and the teacher put away his own lecture to grab his own lesson material. "So, I hope you've had a nice weekend and slept well, because we're straight down to business as of now."

The groans of some of the students died away as hurried footsteps were heard and a pink haired girl entered the room.

"Sorry I'm..." The girl fell silent as she noticed all gazes were on her. "...late."

So this was the new girl. "Well hello there," the teacher called out. "Welcome to my class. I am Kakashi Hatake, I teach English and Literature, and I am your mentor. Will you introduce yourself to the rest of the students?"

The girl came out of her stupor and walked uncertainly to the front of the class. "My name is Sakura Haruno."

It was quiet, as if everyone expected more to be said, but nothing came. "Well then, take a seat," the teacher told her while motioning to the students. "Anywhere is fine."

Sakura looked around herself and soon saw two bright blue eyes staring at her. The blond boy whose eyes belonged to smiled as she caught his stare and motioned to the seat next to him. Supposing the seat was as good as any, the pink haired girl walked to it and sat down.

"I'm Naruto!" The energetic voice and huge grin caused the girl to blink before smiling back at him and saying it was nice to meet him. Sakura noticed the teacher was continuing with the lesson, so she grabbed her own books, inwardly complimenting herself on already having gone and seeking out her books this morning.

"So you're new here?" Sakura nodded at the blond's question while trying to focus on what the teacher was saying. "When did you arrive?"

"Yesterday."

"Have you met anyone interesting?"

The girl turned her head to her right and looked at him. Wasn't he going to stop asking questions? The lesson had already started... The grin that met her eyes was answer enough to that. "I have," she answered him. He seemed to contemplate this for a moment, because it went silent. Relieved, Sakura returned her attention to the teacher.

"You wanna sit with me and my friends during lunch?"

"Ugh, Naruto, shut up!" Another voice had spoken up before Sakura was able to retort.

"Why would I? Sakura's new and seems nice and—"

"That doesn't matter! I'm here to learn and—"

"Why won't you all be quiet?" Another new voice, this time coming from the dark haired boy sitting to Sakura's left.

"I tell you what," Kakashi spoke up, "You be quiet and work on the assignments I've just told you about, so I can—"

"Read porn," someone finished. Immediately the class began laughing. Kakashi didn't seem bothered by it at all. "A great idea," he said, truly liking the proposal. "I suggest you do the same in your free time. Perhaps you'd mature a bit." With this, he walked to his chair and sat down, then picked up the orange book and began reading.

"He can't be serious," Sakura stated, appalled.

"Oh, he is," Naruto answered her.

The class was quiet for a while, save for some chuckles whenever Kakashi turned a page. Needless to say, Sakura hoped that the other teachers were slightly more sane. Just _slightly_ would suffice.

* * *

When the bell rang, Naruto cheered and pulled Sakura off her chair and into the hallway. Sakura, who had barely been able to grab her books in time to stuff them in her bag she haphazardly carried with her, found she might as well let herself be dragged as she found out that Naruto was heading to the same class she should be heading to. Soon the hallways were kind of crowded, but not nearly as much as Sakura was used to in her previous school. Still, she had a little trouble hearing what Naruto was saying to her. "That guy to your left was Sasuke, he's a jerk so you shouldn't hang around him. Ino's okay though, don't let yourself be fooled. Hinata was sitting in front of me. She's quiet but really nice, you'd like her."

They rounded some corners and entered another classroom. "History!" Naruto exclaimed, "This class is so funny; the teacher, Gai, prances around and stuff while telling us stories about the past. You've never known history until you've met him."

They kept standing in front of the classroom as Naruto told Sakura about previous events that had happened in that classroom. The founding of America seemed to have been particularly funny, as if they'd been watching a soap series unfold. Meanwhile other students came in and went to their seats.

"You gonna sit in front of me?"

Sakura pondered that for a moment. Sure, Naruto was really nice and all, but he was certainly a distraction. "I think—"

"Sakura!"

The sensation of someone putting arms around her came over Sakura, who recognized the voice and smell of the person. Who wouldn't, when said smell and voice had haunted you all night long. Sakura quickly came to realize that Naruto wasn't nearly as much as a distraction as this person. She felt herself being pulled flush against someone from behind and a hand pushed some strands of hair behind her ear whereafter a kiss was planted in her neck. "Deidara," Sakura sighed, blushing despite not wanting to.

"You!" Naruto yelled, still standing in front of Sakura and thusly damaging her hearing. That is, if she had actually been paying attention.

"Me," Deidara said, sounding extremely full of himself.

"Get away from her!"

Deidara only grinned like a devil. "Hell no." As if to make his point clear, he leaned down and gave Sakura's neck another kiss.

Somewhere around this point Sakura got herself back together and freed herself of Deidara's grip. She turned around and faced him. "What exactly is the meaning of this?"

The guy raised an eyebrow and quickly stepped forward to pull her flush against him again. His face came down and hovered mere centimeters above hers. "You didn't seem to mind it last night, hmm."

There was a noticeable silence that followed after this comment. It was broken only when a particularly bouncy and particularly green teacher entered the classroom. "Everyone, get to your seats!"

Sakura's hands, both of them, were grabbed and she was pulled through the classroom. However, just when she passed the table in the middle of the room, where Naruto had sat down, she became to object of a tug-o-war; Naruto holding one hand and Deidara holding the other.

"Children!" Gai scanned the room with his eyes, standing in front of the class with his hands on his hips. Sakura felt the tension rise as neither of the guys intended to let go of her. Luckily, help came from a red haired boy, also very familiar, who slapped both alien hands away and pushed her in a chair. Sakura landed with an 'oof' and a sigh, and was relieved that when the teacher looked her way, he only smiled and proceeded with writing something on the blackboard.

Sakura took the opportunity to look behind her and soon found who she was looking for. She smiled at Sasori who was sitting in the very corner of the room, next to Deidara who sat behind her. Naruto sat to her left and glared at the two. "Don't look at them," he said to Sakura in a hushed tone.

"You're looking at them," she countered.

"I'm not smiling all lovey-dovey at them."

"Neither am I."

"Yes you are."

"No, I'm not."

"You shouldn't hang around with those guys!"

"Exactly!" All eyes went to the front of the class. Ah, yes. Gai had been explaining. "That's what America said, but North Korea wouldn't listen. And so they turned to China and..."

Sakura and Naruto settled down and decided to listen to Gai rather than argue. Behind them, silent snickering could be heard.

* * *

When the bell rang, Sakura could honestly say that she agreed with Naruto on the subject 'Gai'. He was a phenomenon in himself. Both Naruto and Sakura didn't bring up the subject of 'Deidara and Sasori'. They walked through the hallways when Naruto asked what she had next. Turned out they both had gym of the fearsome Anko Mitarashi, as did Sasori and Deidara, as they so subtly let them know when they passed each other on their way outside. ("See ya in gym, sweetie, twerp, hmm!") They exited the building and walked past the eastern school building, where they soon saw the sports fields, with the indoor sports building on the other side that contained the locker rooms.

"Come on," Naruto said, urgency filling his voice. He began walking faster along the fields, where a reasonably sized group of students had begun running lapses. Sakura inwardly sighed. It would seem that Naruto really talked too much. While they had walked, Naruto had pointed at lots of things and commented about people they passed by. Turned out it had taken too much time... "I think we're late," he commented.

"You think?" They both turned to look right and saw Deidara running up to them. "Don't think, hmm. Run!"

"Who are you to tell us that, huh?" Naruto seethed at the long haired blond who was currently jogging in one place. Nevertheless, Naruto and Sakura began running anyway and Deidara ran along with them.

"I'm not telling you to pester you, however much I'd want to, twerp, but it's for your own sake."

Call it fate, but not a second later a loud voice boomed over the fields. "You two! You're too late!"

"See ya," Deidara said before he parted and joined the rest of the group as Sakura and Naruto went into the locker rooms and dressed for gym.

"Sorry we're late," Sakura said as she came before Anko, a purple haired woman with a spiky ponytail, someone whose aura practically screamed authority.

"I heard all about you," the woman said.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Really?" She wouldn't have thought she'd made such an impression in the past two lessons.

"Yes, I have. You don't have to run the lapses." Naruto and Sakura sighed. "What are you sighing for, mister?"

Immediately, Naruto's eyes widened and he gulped. "What?"

"Run! Little brat, do you think you have an excuse for tardiness?" As a deflated Naruto started jogging away, Anko continued. "The rest of you, follow me."

The class walked after her and Sakura had time to recognize Ino, the girl with long white blond hair, and Hinata, the timid, purple haired girl, her long hair shiny in the sun. Sasuke, the dark haired boy, with equally dark eyes as she saw now, was there too.

"I believe someone deserves a thank you here." Deidara came walking next to her.

Sakura just sighed. "What for? Having Naruto run lapses? Embarrassing me in front of him?"

"No... I was thinking more of the fact that I've saved you from running those lapses. And what do you mean, 'embarrassed'?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "I like you, and I don't care if anyone can see us when I hold you." Sakura became increasingly uncomfortable, she didn't really like where this conversation was headed towards... Especially considering anyone could hear them... and he just said he didn't care. Joy. "And I don't care if they see us..." He lifted her chin and—

"Woah, stop, stop!" Sakura quickly flailed around with her hands and Deidara dropped his own that previously held her chin.

"Okay, fine, hmm."

Sakura inwardly let out a relieved breath. Last night she'd wondered if she'd lost herself because of what he, this blond daring guy, had done. She thanked the gods that she could still say no if she so pleased.

"I still want a thanks, though. And it had better be something good."

Anko had come to a stop and everyone halted. "Push ups, everyone! Except for you of course, Sakura."

The students got down to the ground and Sakura watched as they began the horrendous task. Some of them didn't have a problem with it, though. Sakura saw a guy with silver, slicked back hair who held one arm on his back. What was he, a masochist? The girl shivered and looked away. Sasori didn't break a sweat and Deidara, too, was faring well and didn't seem tired at all. To think they'd previously been running... Sakura herself would've been toast if she'd been asked to perform like this.

"It had better be good," Deidara repeated.

* * *

When the bell rang, Sakura realized she'd never, ever been so grateful for a break. True, she didn't have to perform the absolute worst Anko told them to do, but that in itself should explain just how great she was at gym. Just thinking of how lucky she'd been made her think of what lay ahead of her. The thank you.

"Come with me, Sakura," Naruto's voice came from her left as they walked back to the main building, where the cafeteria resided. Sakura let herself be led by the blond boy and they walked to a table where others their age sat, ate and chatted. She recognized a few, Ino and Hinata for a first, and a girl who wore her brown hair in two buns. She'd seen her during gym. A blond girl with pigtails, four of them, sat at the table next to the one they stood at, she'd seen her in gym too, along with a boy she vaguely remembered from her first class, with red hair and black rimmed eyes.

"They are with us, too," Naruto explained. "We have both tables." Sakura nodded absently, trying to place the faces or match them with a name.

"Why don't you sit down, Sakura, was it?" Ino had spoken and patted the chair next to her. Smiling at her, Sakura walked to her made to sit down. She hadn't even gotten far or Naruto had yelled her name loudly so everyone could hear and pointed at her. Way to go introductions. Sakura waved somewhat awkwardly and turned her attention to Ino, who began speaking.

"Let's have a formal introduction: My name is Ino Yamanaka, you can tell me everything."

"She loves gossips," the brown haired girl with buns said.

"I just like to be in the know," Ino retorted. "And that's Tenten, our lovely tomboy."

"Haha, funny." Tenten rolled her eyes and gave Sakura a smile from where she sat in front of her. "Ino talks too much. Don't mind her." Sakura nodded and smiled a little, before returning her attention to Ino, who was impatiently tapping her nails on the table. She stopped as soon as she noticed Sakura paying attention to her and began talking again.

"And this cute girl over here," Ino pulled Hinata to herself, who was sitting to her left, "is Hinata Hyuga, niece of the wonderfully sexy Neji—"

"Ah, stop calling him that!" Tenten interrupted, putting her hands on her ears.

"I'll call him whatever I want, Tenten. Just because you... All right, fine, I won't say it, but I won't have to, because everyone already knows anyway."

"Talks. Too. Much." Again, Tenten. A very frustrated Tenten.

"But anyway," Ino started again, "Neji is a bad boy. I'll tell you all about the bad boys and bitches and other titles once we're done introducing. Over there," Ino pointed at the guy sitting in front of Hinata, who had brown frizzy hair and red cheek marks, "is Kiba Inuzuka... who currently looks stoned..."

"No I don't," Kiba said, resting his head on his hand and his elbow on the tabletop. "I'm truly fascinated by your intelligent conversation..."

"You don't have to listen."

"Of course I do. You're funny. So, Tenten... Neji, huh?"

"Shut up!" Kiba erupted in a laughing fit and Tenten punched his on the head to shut him up herself.

Naruto walked over from where he had been standing at the other table and sat down in front of Ino. "And that, as you know, is Naruto Uzumaki, the famous trouble maker but most of all: a nice guy with too many friends but can't stop himself from befriending anything that walks on two legs."

"Thank you, thank you," Naruto stood and bowed in multiple directions, after which he sat down again. "But what's wrong with many friends? That's about the one thing I can think of that I've never gotten into trouble with."

"True," Ino admitted. "But the day will come, I assure you!"

"Yeah, right," Naruto said, then he stood up again. "I'm gonna get something to eat and drink, want me to get you something, too?" He looked at Sakura, who gave him a smile and nodded. When Naruto walked away Ino continued with her introductions.

"Okay, at the other table: Behind Kiba, at the corner? That's Gaara, the silent one. His sister Temari, the one with the blond pigtails, is sitting next to him. She's really cool when you get to know her, but to the rest of the school she's considered a real bitch. On Temari's other side is Shikamaru, the lazy genius. On the other side in the corner, opposite of Gaara, is Kankuro, Temari's little brother, but he's older than Gaara. Next to him, opposite Temari, is Lee. He's hyper and adores Gai, note the similarities between them, but he's a good guy. Then, finally, there's Chouji, the... big one. Don't call him fat. Never do that."

She stopped and took a deep breath, then took a sip of her drink and a bite of her sandwich.

"There are all kinds of people at this school," Ino started again. "I won't be telling you to hang around us and stay away from certain others, because that's entirely up to you to decide. However... I will tell you to watch out. The school is like an ocean filled with fish, all kinds of fish. Big ones and small ones, all kinds of colors and varying behaviors. Fish like to stay in groups, it's for protection, you know. There are big fish who like to hurt smaller ones, those who prey on anything not their kind... You also have those that look pretty and entice you, but they're really dangerous."

Ino sipped her drink once more and watched Sakura. "You're new in this ocean, so you might not know where to go at first. But I suggest you move quickly, before something gets to you. I can tell you one thing, and that's that you're safe with us. We're all for one and one for all, no matter how small you are."

"Wow, Ino, that was deep."

"I know, Kiba. I have my moments."

"Give her an applause, I'd say," Tenten muttered.

"Don't be mean," Ino said to her. "But, more importantly; are you following me, Sakura?"

The pink haired girl nodded. "I am, don't worry. So I have to stay away from the bad fish."

"Exactly!" Ino got closer to Sakura and pointed at a group of people on the other side of the cafeteria. "Those are the ones who call themselves the 'Sound'. Ridiculous, I know, but don't go and say they're not entirely 'sound' in the head, because they'll maim you."

"You're kidding me," Sakura uttered. "You can't do that."

"Oh, yes they can. And they will if you provoke them. That's the key word: Provoke. Stay to yourself or to your group, or you'll get yourself in trouble. Now, who do you see?"

"With them?"

"U-huh."

"A girl with red hair, long red hair, and glasses. Another girl with long black hair, a brown skinned guy and a fat guy. Someone with gray hair... another one with white hair, oh, and another white haired one. And there's someone with orange hair... and he's tall."

"All right. Those aren't all of them, but remember the faces. These three names are important: Karin, the red haired chick. She's the greatest bitch of all times. Suigetsu, the white haired one... the one with short hair, that one. He likes to hurt you, he likes to fight and he doesn't care if you're a girl. Last but certainly not least: Kimimaro. He's the other white haired one, with two red dots tattooed on his forehead. He is kind of their leader. Watch out for them."

Sakura nodded. "So, that's all?"

"That's all?" Ino began laughing. "Absolutely not. The Sound only get you when you provoke or when you're particularly unlucky and get in their way. They aren't planning or scheming anything."

Sakura was silent for a bit, and Hinata, Kiba and Tenten were quiet, too. "Then who are?"

"Over there," Tenten said, and she pointed to a corner, away from the windows.

"They don't need provocation. They'll provoke themselves. They pick targets, they plan, they scheme. They'll get you if you aren't careful. They judge everyone who's new and brand them; you're either clear and safe, or you're doomed. But in a group you're relatively safe. Take Gaara, he used to be one of their worst victims, but now he's safe. Getting friends with Naruto kind of does that to you, I suppose."

"They call themselves..." Kiba let the sentence linger, building up tension, "...the Akatsuki."

"Tremble, tremble," Tenten added, sarcasm dripping off her words. "They're just a bunch of wannabe criminals. If given the chance, I'm sure they'd chicken out."

"Tenten, that's a load of crap and you know it." Ino glared at her. "Seriously, the Akatsuki are..."

"Are what?" Tenten questioned.

"Hello there, hmm." For some reason, the volume in the cafeteria seemed to go down.

"Hi there!" Ino stated overly cheerfully.

Sakura turned to look at Deidara, who was standing near Tenten. "Hey," she muttered, looking away again.

"What were you girls talking about?"

"I'm not a girl," Kiba said, but not as vehemently as he'd have wanted to. The comment was lost on Deidara anyway, safe for a leer in Kiba's direction.

"Bad fish," Ino said quickly.

"Excuse me, hmm?" Ino swallowed nervously and repeated herself. "Bad fish. We were talking about _bad fish_." As she ended her sentence, emphasizing the words 'bad fish', Ino watched Sakura out of the corner of her eyes, but when she saw that Sakura was zoning out, she opted for nudging her. Roughly.

"Ouch!" Sakura glared at Ino. "What?"

"Bad fish." Ino nudged her head towards Deidara.

"Huh? Oh. Fish, bad fish. Yeah. You mean the stuff you had last week and that nearly made you choke?"

"Yes, exactly."

Deidara stared at them, what made them wonder whether or not he was buying it. "O-kay... I'll make sure not to ask again."

Ino nodded eagerly and smiled. "Oh, that's fine."

The blond guy eyed her suspiciously before turning to Sakura. "If you want to eat something or want to have a drink..." He eyed the rest of the persons sitting at the table, "...or if you want to hang around other people, you can come to where I'm sitting." Again, his eyes went over the others in a quick glance, and he added as an afterthought, "Alone." Then he walked over to Sakura and nuzzled her from behind. "Still waiting for the thank you... hmm." Sakura sat stiffly, frozen to the spot. Deidara got up a bit and rested his head atop hers, while looking the others in the eyes, one by one. "Choose wisely, Sakura."

"Choose what?" Sakura managed to say.

"Your friends, Sakura. Let me give you some advise. Ditch these losers. They're contagious." He planted a kiss on her head. "I expect to see you before the end of today's lessons, hmm. If not, expect me to come visit you tonight." With these words he parted, leaving some dumbfounded people behind.

"Sakura..." Ino started after a moment of silence, "What have you gotten yourself into?"

Sakura sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I don't know..."

Tenten and Kiba could be heard sighing. "Fine, I believe it... somewhat. I still don't think they'd kill you or anything." Tenten shot a furtive glance at Deidara's form who'd arrived at his own table and had sat down between a blue haired girl and Hidan, the guy with silver slicked back hair who she knew from gym. "Sakura, I have to agree with Ino on this matter. Those people give off some weird vibes."

"You sure you won't get raped tonight?" Kiba joked.

"Kiba!" Ino glared at him derisively. "Don't do that." She turned to Sakura. "You can _not_ let them into your room, they'll know where you sleep and you'll never get rid of them."

Sakura stared at her.

"What?" Ino asked tentatively.

"...Too late."

"No!"

"Smart move, Sakura," Tenten added. "Perhaps you should invite them for dinner, too. Oh, wait, I know! Announce that you'll be his girlfriend! I'm sure that'll make them think you don't know what to do with this situation!"

"Come on," Sakura crossed her arms. "I thought they were okay, so I let them show me around. No big deal, right?"

"Doomed," Kiba said, and he began to cross himself.

"Well, what do you guys want me to do about it?"

Ino let out a sigh and finished her meal. "There are numerous possibilities. But first, let me tell you about bad boys. We have countless of them, but some of them aren't all that bad. In the rule, bad boys are mean, strong, smart and generally bad for you, hence the name. The Akatsuki is the only group that consists solely of bad boys, so I'll tell you now that Deidara is _not_ okay. There's Konan too, but she's what we call a bad girl, or otherwise known as a bitch. You can see them as mean and hurtful, but they're girls and will use more subtle ways for hurting you, though there are a lot of them who wouldn't be afraid to get into a fight."

Sakura looked over to where the so called Akatsuki sat at the table in the corner, though they used the table nearest to them to dump their bags on and pulled its chairs over to the table they sat at themselves. There were eight of them, all guys with the exception of Konan, the blue haired girl.

"What you can do," Tenten began, "is go to them right now, face Deidara and... well, kiss him or something. He obviously want something like that."

"But do tell him that was his thanks, and it meant nothing. Get back to us immediately after, don't agree to anything they say. Got it?" Ino stared Sakura in the eyes, who avoided her gaze and looked at the Akatsuki before shivering.

"Fine then... There aren't any other options?"

"Rape!" Kiba cheered.

"Kiba!" Ino and Tenten shouted at the same time, and Tenten whacked him up his head.

"I get it," Sakura sighed.

"It's for the better, truly, I know," Ino tried to comfort Sakura, who let out a sigh once again.

"Well, Here I go," she said, and stood up.

"Remember what I told you, Sakura! Get right back to us, they won't do anything with us near."

"I will, and thanks, Ino." Ino smiled at her and Sakura smiled back, albeit not very convincingly. Then she walked away as the girls and Kiba watched her go to the most feared gang in school.

"We should have told her about the womanizers part," Tenten commented.

Ino's eyes widened. "You think? Shouldn't that be obvious? I mean, look at... them." They saw Sakura stand near Deidara and him talking and smiling at her, while Sakura smiled back. "She doesn't know," Ino said.

"Nope," Tenten agreed.

~*~

* * *

First part of the story: START!

Next chapter coming up soon~


	5. I, 2: Becoming problematic

I

2, Becoming problematic

~*~

"Look at them watching," Sasori said as he gazed in the direction of Ino, Tenten, Kiba and Hinata, who were all looking back at him. "What did they tell you about us, Sakura?"

Sakura looked him in the eyes and thought of what to say. "They, uh, well, I don't think they like you very much."

Sasori nodded vaguely. " I suppose they wouldn't."

Deidara cleared his throat; "Thank you."

Sasori blinked and looked at Sakura, then gazed at Deidara and back at Sakura. "What did you have in mind as an appropriate thank you, Sakura?"

Sakura glanced at the table she previously sat at and swallowed, nerves getting the better of her. There were so many people watching... Not only Ino en co, but about half of the cafeteria's current residents had their eyes on the table in the corner, awaiting what would happen next. She removed her gaze from all those prying eyes and turned to look at Deidara's inquisitive one. She took a deep breath. "I... was, um..." Should she say it, or just do it? "Well..." Man, she was the worst at this. It was worse than gym. Had it truly been worth it, whatever he had done for her? "I..." Deidara raised an eyebrow and the silence stretched. "I—Ah!"

"There you go, pink."

An abrupt shove to her back caused Sakura to tumble right onto Deidara who was still sitting in his chair. He caught her body before she fell over him and onto the ground and moved her so she was sitting in his lap, with a leg on each side of him. "Thanks, Hidan," Deidara called out. "So, Sakura, what did you want to..."

The sentence lingered there as Sakura leaned down and pressed her lips against his. As she started kissing him, Deidara's eyebrow rose and he peered at Sasori who was smirking at him. "Would that be to you liking?" The only reply he got was Deidara closing his eye and a "Hmm..." Deidara let Sakura do her best as he just sat there and let himself be kissed.

When Sakura pulled back and caught his gaze, she blushed and looked away. "I hope that was good enough. And it didn't mean anything, it was just the thanks."

She made to get off of him and would have succeeded had Deidara not gotten a hold of her. "I rather like your way of saying thank you... Care to do that every time I deserve a thanks?"

"No way," was the immediate reply. Don't agree to anything, Ino had said.

"Why not?" Deidara replied. "Didn't you just say it didn't mean anything to you? In that case it shouldn't be any problem, hmm."

"I'm going back," Sakura said while trying to rid herself of his grasp. "I'm not agreeing to anything."

Deidara released his hold of her and Sakura got off. "Does this mean you're choosing them, Sakura?"

She turned around and saw every Akatsuki eying her. "I don't see how that's relevant right now," Sakura muttered quietly before walking away to Ino, who was giving her a thumbs up.

"Does this mean she's one of the happy go luckies now?" Hidan eyed the group Sakura sat with, his gaze filled with disgust.

"It would appear so." Sasori leaned back in a chair, seemingly in thought. "Next question. What are we going to do about it?"

"Should we do anything about it in the first place?" Konan had spoken up and gazed at Deidara out the corner of her eyes.

"I want to, hmm." Deidara had his watchful gaze locked on Sakura who was oblivious to it. "I'm gonna visit her tonight. I think I need to make some things clear to her."

"She's with them, now," Sasori said. "We may have a major opportunity at our hands."

"Indeed." The new voice came from a young man with brown hair, almost orange, who had multiple piercings in his face. "Do what you want, Deidara."

* * *

When the bell rang, Sakura was positive that her sense of judgment was twisted. She had met two strangers and randomly went with them for an entire day. Now, she knew that what she had done had been wrong, very, devastatingly wrong. At the end of the first break Sakura had shared Hinata's lunch. Why? Because certain somebodies thought it was funny to trip Naruto, push him into a trashcan and dump the food over his head. Needless to say, Naruto was pissed.

Said somebodies also thought it hilarious to come over to their group—now that Sakura apparently had 'chosen'—and harass Gaara what led to Temari sticking up for her little brother and starting a fight. The so called Sound joined in and when the head cook of the cafeteria, Chouza, Chouji's father, finally came out to stop the fight—which had turned into a food fight—Sakura realized that this school, despite looking like a hotel, housed uncivilized cavemen disguised as pretty humans.

She remained in her seat the entire time and just watched, letting herself be punished for her foolish thoughts by the sight alone. Ino, Hinata and Tenten stayed by her side, Kiba left to join the party. This school was worse than her previous one. Relief filled her as Sakura walked to her next class, Biology.

"You're officially with us now," Temari said as she, Ino, Tenten and Hinata walked alongside Sakura on their way to their next classes. "You've unchained a war by yourself and you caused them to come to us and pester Gaara and..." Temari saw the look on Sakura's face. "Don't worry! I don't mind a good fight now and then, especially when my little brother comes into it... My point being, you'd better be with us after having caused this." She grinned down at Sakura, who groaned.

"Don't worry so much," Tenten said, patting the pink haired girl on her shoulder.

"She got all reason to," Ino sang. She apologized quickly when she saw Sakura deflate. "Well, I have to go this way to class. Sakura, I know I've told you but I'll tell you again: You did great. Nothing happened we couldn't have expected."

Sakura stared. "...A food fight? Naruto and Gaara being—"

"Okay, okay, I get it. But I gotta leave now, bye!" Ino took off to her lessons and Temari excused herself as well after ruffling Sakura's hair. Hinata and Tenten walked with Sakura to Biology, telling her they had the same class.

"I'm glad," Sakura said to them as they arrived at the door of their classroom. "The last thing I'd want is to be cooped up in a room for fifty minutes with those..." She shook her head, thinking of what to call them, "...evil persons." She shivered.

"It's as I said," Tenten began, "Don't worry so much. You're not alone, we're with you."

With this, Tenten brought her hand to the handle and opened the door. She entered first, Hinata followed and Sakura went in after her. As soon as Sakura had stepped inside the room, someone took hold of Sakura's right arm and pulled her away to the other side of the classroom. Sakura tried to free herself, but the grip was simply too strong. "Let go!" she yelled, and drew back her fist to punch— "Sasori?" Sakura's fist froze in midair and Sasori took to opportunity to push her into a seat by the window, then moved her chair to her table so she sat tight against it.

"Welcome to Biology." His voice was smooth and sweet, eyes smoldering as they looked at each other.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tenten had come over and stood with her arms crossed while she glared at Sasori, who in turn went to stand in front of Sakura and blocked her only possible escape route. "Sakura," Tenten leaned a bit sidewards to look around Sasori and see Sakura," Are you sitting there of your own free will?" She continued on a softer tone, "Though I already know the answer to that."

Sakura quickly shook her head and opened her mouth to speak when Sasori said "Yes."

"Pardon?" Sakura turned her head to stare at the redhead. He slowly turned his own head and fixed her with a look that dared Sakura to defy him.

"Hey, dipshit," Tenten interrupted the silent conversation between the other two. "I was asking Sakura, she shook her head and you said 'yes'. Do you know what that means?"

Sasori's own eyes narrowed as he began to give Tenten a glare of his own and he, too, crossed his arms. "It means you should mind your own business, little girl."

"You're so funny," Tenten rolled her eyes, then gave Sasori a glare fiercer than her previous one. "Back off and leave her alone."

"I don't think I will. What are you going to do about it? Make me?"

"And what if I will?"

"Don't make me laugh, tomboy. Step aside."

"Are you giving me an order?" Tenten's eyes widened a fraction of a second in her growing anger. "Because I'm warning you, you'd better not."

Sasori's glare disappeared and he all but smiled at her. "I'm not ordering you around. Of course, if I wanted to, I could've easily done so." Tenten huffed and mumbled something that sounded like 'as if'. "No," Sasori continued, "I was giving you a heads up."

"Trying to save me the trouble of removing her myself? Convenient, but unnecessary. It also isn't like you. What's wrong with you, Sasori?"

Tenten stiffened and this time it was Sakura's turn to lean over and take a peek around Sasori. What she saw was a guy she'd seen at the table of the Akatsuki, not twenty minutes earlier. He was tanned, tall, dark haired and his skin was marred by several scars. Moreover, he didn't seem friendly. Sasori seemed perfectly at ease around the guy, which Sakura would've considered strange, had she not seen Sasori in action about fifteen minutes earlier. Talk about bad vibes...

"I've got my reasons," Sasori replied. "I'd like some alone time with Sakura."

The tall guy retorted quickly. "You get your alone time after school. Right now, take your seat. And you..." The guy turned to Tenten. "...You get yourself out of my immediate reach."

Tenten gulped and backed off as the guy came nearer. She glanced at Sakura, whom she could now see without Sasori blocking her from view, and tried to get close to her without coming near the tall scarred guy. Before she could get close though, Sasori walked up towards her and Tenten's glare found its way back to her face as he halted in front of her.

"Move," Sasori all but ordered.

"Hell no," Tenten spat back.

"You're blocking the way to my seat."

"Find a way around me, tough guy."

"Move." Sasori said once again, articulating the word clearly.

As they stood face to face, neither of them making any move to back off, Tenten had to consciously resist growling. "No."

Meanwhile, Sakura had tried to sneak away, planning to go to Hinata who was on the other side of the classroom. However, the unfriendly looking guy in the seat next to her prevented her from doing so just by giving her this look... So she was forced to sit and watch the interaction between Tenten and the one she'd let into her room the day before.

After hearing the definite no from Tenten, she couldn't hear what was said anymore since the two were then talking silently. When their small conversation was apparently over, Tenten walked away to sit next to the tall unfriendly guy after shooting her a worried look. Sasori went to sit behind Sakura, giving her a calm smile, at which the girl quickly whirled around and faced the front of the classroom. After a couple of seconds of this looking at nothing in particular, she felt a hot breath in her neck, near her left ear. "We need to talk."

Sakura, despite having stiffened upon feeling the hot air, turned around to take a look at the one who'd spoken. To her morbid fascination Sasori was still sitting back in his seat, eying her lazily. Sighing, Sakura turned back in her seat and watched the front of the room. The teacher still wasn't there. The girl looked sideways, expecting to catch a glimpse of Tenten, but seeing a tall guy instead. Said tall, dark haired guy glanced at her and Sakura immediately looked forward again.

Seeing a green haired man standing behind the desk, whereas she'd seen no one there a few seconds earlier, Sakura startled and abruptly moved back in her chair, causing her to collide with Sasori's table. While Sakura mentally cursed herself and shoved her chair back to her own table, Sasori chuckled lightly. After this, the girl watched the teacher again, who stood next to one of the two big plants in the room. The other plant stood next to the entrance door, looking green and well kept. As Sakura watched the man, she couldn't help but feel like he'd popped out of thin air.

"He's weird, isn't he," a voice came from behind her, thought it was softly spoken. Sakura didn't look but just gave a nod while she observed the teacher. He was pale, very much so, and had short green hair and yellow eyes. He locked eyes with hers for a moment, then walked to the blackboard, pulled on a rope and a large white screen came rolling down.

"He does that from time to time," Sasori said softly.

"Does what?"Sakura questioned, still not looking at him.

"Appear out of nowhere, next to the plant."

The pink haired girl in front of him nodded slightly in understanding. "What did you tell me his name was again?"

"I didn't. We call him Zetsu."

Sakura cocked her head a bit, hiding her nervousness, not thanks to a certain redhead behind her. "You 'call him'?"

"It's his first name. No one calls him by his last name."

"Then what is his last name? At least someone ought to be somewhat respectful."

"I wouldn't know," the guy replied. Then the beamer was switched on and the lights were switched off. Curtains rolled down in front of the windows and an image appeared on the white screen.

"What the...?" Sakura blinked and frowned, not quite comprehending the sight she witnessed. Their Biology teacher, Zetsu, was standing half in front of the beamer light, one half of him lit brightly in the light, the other half black, covered in shadows. The light split his body in half right down the middle. "He tends to do that often, too," Sasori told her. Sakura didn't see, but he was wearing a dry smile.

As Zetsu started his lesson, Sakura quietly asked Sasori her last question before she'd stop with the distractions and get to the point. "Are all teachers creeps, freaks and weirdos at this school?"

Sasori laughed at her choice of words. "Yes, they are."

"Shut up you two," a voice boomed from Sakura's right. She jumped and focused her attention on the black and white teacher who was explaining the importance of food chains and the effect of every individual in it. Sakura tried her best to focus on the predator and prey part, but focus simply wouldn't be allowed as long as she felt that there was a predator sitting behind her.

"Should one factor in the food chain go missing, chaos will ensue." Sakura frowned a bit, not quite agreeing with that line. If the mean predators on top of the food chain would disappear, all individuals underneath them would certainly be happier. If the Akatsuki would disappear... "...nature would search for a new balance and another predator would eventually take its place."

Maybe she shouldn't compare the situation at school with a natural order. Sakura was about to sigh when she saw a piece of paper land in front of her, on her table. It was folded into a flower, and she could see pieces of sentences written on it, so she unfolded the paper.

_"Let's converse this way,"_ it read,_ "So as not to make Zetsu notice. What was the book about? You did start reading it, didn't you."_ It didn't take much for Sakura to figure out where that had come from and who had written it. She took a pen and started writing underneath his lines.

_"Very smart. Or wait, no. It's more like childish. The book—yes, I did start reading it—was about ninja in another world. Kind of funny, actually. Especially since one of the characters has my name. No, you're not in it. The book's too cool for you."_

When Sakura carelessly threw the paper over her shoulder—she hadn't bothered folding it, just turned it into a ball—she could hear a huff after a couple of seconds. It wasn't long until she received the paper back on her desk with more text added. _"Feeling good enough for jokes, huh? Good, time for another subject. Deidara will come see you tonight."_

Sakura's eyes widened and she quickly wrote back. _"Why would he? I gave him his 'reward', so he should just leave me alone. As should you."_ She threw the paper back and nervously awaited the answer. It came soon enough.

_"Reward? That wasn't nearly enough. Any child could give a kiss like that. Don't be ridiculous."_

_"Any child?"_ Sakura hissed. He didn't have a clue as to how much a kiss like that was to her. True, she supposed it could've been considered somewhat chaste... She hadn't used her tongue or anything, but still! For him to say such a thing... Well, technically he wrote it. She shook her head and began writing. _"That's not fair and you know it. Tell him to back off or, no, get the idea out of his head. I won't stand for his little visit. Know that my door'll be locked. He won't come in, end of story."_ Sakura thought of something else and added, _"Why do you keep pestering **me**__? I want you to leave me alone, can't you understand that? You're mean and I don't want you around me."_

She threw the paper back at him after this and concentrated on the lesson. It took a while for Sasori to write back, so Sakura could pay attention and take notes of what Zetsu was talking about. However, good things never do last, and the piece of paper fell onto Sakura's desk just when she thought it would never come. She read it, filled with an anxious sort of dread.

_"It may not be fair, but so are most other things in life. You, Sakura, are our subject of interest. This means that you'll just have to endure and eventually give in to either of us. Until then, we'll be around you, we won't leave you alone. And you're hurting my feelings. The word mean is very subjective. I suppose this tells me a sufficient amount about your feelings for me."_

This wasn't entirely what Sakura had expected as a response. She took her pen and wrote again. _"Mean isn't subjective at all. The meaning of the word is clear and the description fits you."_

This time around the response was fast. _"Was I mean to you yesterday? Have I been mean to you today?"_

Sakura frowned and wrote back. _"It doesn't matter if you're polite to me when you're showing the rest of the world your true colors. You're mean to"_ She paused and thought for a second. What were they to her? _"to my friends, so you're indirectly hurting me too. Yesterday was a mistake."_ She sat back and let out a breath, returning the paper to Sasori and wondering what he'd reply. She got to know soon.

_"Your friends? I can't believe you're eating everything they feed you. Why do you choose them?"_

Again, Sakura shook her head before writing the response. _"I believe them because my gut tells me they're right. They are being honest with me, which is more than I can say for you."_

The reply was quick and wasn't as neatly written as the previous messages. _"I have **never**__ lied to you. I despise liars. Do not dare to call me dishonest."_ The intense words made Sakura get a grip of herself, realize what she was doing and who she was dealing with and she turned in her seat as soon as Zetsu wasn't looking and faced Sasori. He was looking at her with an irritated expression, as if she'd offended him in a way no one ever had. For some reason it made Sakura want to apologize to him, but she stubbornly refrained from doing so. She could still see him running through the cafeteria, protecting himself with a plate as shield and attacking at the same time with the food of the freshmen. How inconsiderate could one be? If he felt wronged in any way, he deserved it ten times over.

"You never told me the entire truth either," she hissed at him, "So I can't really call you honest, now can I?"

The irritated expression worsened. "Then what should I have told you, may I ask?"

"Oh, I don't know," Sakura said, keeping an eye on the teacher, "Maybe something like: 'Hey there! My friend and I saw you and thought: Wow, wouldn't she be fun to harass! So we came over and you know what? Let us show you around! Oh, and we're members of the most feared gang in school and we like to have food fights, love to hurt and maim people and molest unsuspecting new girls.' Maybe that would've helped me judge you better." Sasori stayed silent and it didn't take long before he gave all his attention to Zetsu and his talk. Sakura turned around to do just that as well. "Got nothing to say to that?" The soft sentence was meant for the redhead behind her.

"You're being unreasonable." He left it at that.

* * *

When the bell rang, Sakura quickly got up and went to Hinata and Tenten, then walked out of the classroom together with them. After his last words, Sasori hadn't spoken anymore, leaving Sakura feeling both relieved and uncomfortable. When Tenten heard what had gone on between Sasori and Sakura during the lesson, she applauded and complimented the girl about it, now officially deemed her friend. After this she took off to her next class, leaving Sakura and Hinata behind who were having Maths next. They met up with Temari and Gaara soon after and together they walked to miss Shizune's class. Sakura recognized the woman from the day before, who had given Sasori his hours of detention.

"You may sit next to me," Hinata said gently as they walked to the side of the room with windows. Hinata sat down a seat away from the windows, in which Sakura sat down. Gaara sat behind Hinata in the last row, with Temari on his right. "Deidara has this class too," Hinata continued in a soft tone, "But he sits on the other side of the room. I tend to sit as far away as possible from the scary types."

Sakura nodded and smiled at her, grateful to finally have a class far away from her overbearing admirers. Hinata smiled in return, and a second later someone sat down in the seat in front of Hinata's.

"Hello there, girls! Guess who I met on my way here?"

Hinata didn't have to think long before she answered her blond friend. "You met with Tenten?"

Ino beamed. "Yes!" She turned to Sakura. "You were amazing! I bet Sasori's giving up on you now, so you've only got one left to deal with."

Sakura wondered if what Ino had said might be true. She remembered Sasori's written words all too well. "I'm not so sure... Though I do think I pissed him off a bit."

Ino pondered this. "That... doesn't sound as positive as when Tenten told me about it."

Sakura sighed and then smiled. "Well, at least they won't bother me in this class."

Ino smiled confidently back, but Hinata was silent. "...Girls," she said quietly, but didn't say any more.

Ino looked in the direction Hinata was staring at, wide eyed. "Oh god," the blond girl said, horror mixed in her voice. In the door opening, Deidara stood and watched the three of them with a hawkish gaze. "He isn't sitting down," Ino said again, "What is he thinking..."

The girls were silent as the rest of the students chattered on. The blond guy in the door opening began moving eventually, but not in the direction of his own seat. Sakura, Ino and Hinata sat in silent horror as they watched him near. He passed them and took a seat in the corner by the windows, behind Sakura. They stayed silent and didn't turn around. "Don't mind me," Deidara said with nonchalance. "Please continue, hmm."

It took a while before anyone spoke again. "I heard you sat on the other side of this classroom..." Sakura was the one to break the ice.

"That's right, I _sat_. I decided I'll be sitting here for the rest of this period."

It went silent again. Ino wanted to turn in her seat and speak to the others, but by doing so she would inadvertently look at Deidara as well. Deciding to play it safe for the time being, she kept looking forward and refrained from speaking. Hinata sat frozen stiff, her whole frame tense. Usually not all that talkative, it didn't take much for her to stay silent. Sakura had closed her eyes and thought of what to do. She couldn't possibly leave her new friends to fend for themselves while she went to sit on the other side of the room. On the other hand, should she move and Deidara was sitting with them to be near her, then he would most likely move with her and her friends would be safe. But... safety in numbers. Sakura glanced to her right and saw Temari glare at the person behind her, but she smiled as soon as she caught Sakura's gaze. Nothing would happen as long as they were with more and Deidara was just on his own.

"Everyone, get your books and open them on pages 106 and 110. Deidara?"

"Yes, _Shizune_?" The tone reminded Sakura of the day before.

"Why aren't you in your seat?"

"I am in my seat. Are you blind, hmm?"

Shizune scoffed and crossed her arms as she sat in her chair and gave Deidara an irritated look. "Please, behave this time, will you? Go to your own seat."

"Let's see... a polite answer... I'll just stick with a no."

Some kids began murmuring and some quietly laughed, which made the Maths teacher sigh. "Deidara, with all due respect, you have more hours of detention for the oncoming months than many students have had in their past years. Please do as I say."

Deidara merely let out a short chuckle, completely humorless. "With all due respect, let the matter drop and please be quiet."

Shizune gasped and frowned immediately after. "That is not the way you speak to your teacher!"

"Man, you're absolutely right. What I meant was: Shut up."

By now, Shizune was clutching her books tightly. "Deidara. Ibiki, now."

"No thanks, I'll see him after school."

"Now!"

"No. Is that such a hard word?" The class was resonating with awes and laughs, and Deidara smirked as Shizune got up and left the classroom. As soon as she'd left he got out of his seat and walked two steps to stand next to Sakura, who watched Shizune's retreat with shock and hadn't seen him coming. When she did see him, it was too late. Deidara grabbed her right arm tightly and shouted to the rest of the class "Riot!" The students, with the exception of Gaara, Ino and Hinata, erupted in cheers and soon after pens and paper planes flew through the room.

Deidara then focused his attention on Sakura. He yanked her up by the arm and sat down on her chair where he pulled the girl down. Sakura landed none too gently on the older guy and she desperately tried to get off of him. However, Deidara held tight and used her struggles against her by moving her so that she sat on his lap with both legs on his left.

"What do you want, Deidara?" Sakura felt her heart speed up as she realized in what kind of situation she found herself in. She heard Ino's voice asking if she was all right in an alarmed tone and she knew Deidara heard it too, but at the moment he ignored just about everyone and everything with the exception of her.

"I want you to stop struggling and listen to me," he finally answered. Sakura swallowed as they continued to stare each other in the eyes. She didn't know if not struggling was a good option at this point, but the look in Deidara's eye made her wonder if defying him was a better thing to do. She chose to stay still and do as he said.

"Sakura," Deidara began as he pushed her head down so that it lay on his shoulder and Sakura's nose almost touched his neck. "Relax." Contrary to what he said, Sakura only tensed. "I'll come see you tonight."

Sakura took in a shaky breath. "Why? I gave you... I..."_...kissed you,_ she finished in her mind. "Why wasn't it..." Sakura closed her eyes, hearing her voice break.

"Hush, little one," Deidara rubbed her upper arm and he turned his head to inhale the scent of her hair. "There's nothing to be afraid of, hmm." Sakura swallowed again, trying to make the tightness in her throat go away. She wanted to talk, but feared that if she did, she would cry. She truly felt like crying. Only god knew what he was planning to do that night. "We don't have much more time," he said then, "Shizune's probably returning with Ibiki very soon, coming to take me away..."

Deidara chuckled, the sound reverberating through his body and Sakura felt it, the thought that it felt funny relieving her of her distress momentarily. "That made me sound like a criminal." He chuckled again and put his hand through her pink hair, then lifted her head and locked eyes with her. The comment about him being a criminal put Sakura off again, and the fearful feeling returned, along with the tightening of her throat.

"What do you say," Deidara began asking, speaking softly, "If I'd tell you a little about what tonight will bring?"

Sakura swore that her heart stopped beating for a second, she herself stopped breathing for a moment, of that she was sure. Deidara could most likely sense her distress for her rubbed her arm a second time and pulled her closer, but Sakura could feel him smirk in her hair. "I suppose you wouldn't say anything, hmm." He laughed softly, but the sensation was no longer pleasant to Sakura.

"Well then, I'll tell you anyway. Let me start with this: It will be..." Deidara lifted her head and leaned even closer, it didn't take much of an effort. "...much more sensual than that cute little kiss you gave me." He licked his lips as he stared her in the eyes.

Sakura felt terribly uneasy and had a vague suspicion of what was coming now. The centimeter between them was quickly gone and Sakura felt their lips touch. Deidara's mouth was opened slightly, but to Sakura's surprise he went very slow. She'd expected him to violate her or something, but this was so... tender. And it emanated more anticipation than Sakura would have thought possible. She felt herself heat up and was very certain she was blushing hard. Her mouth opened a little bit as Deidara hovered lightly against her. The pressure on her lips intensified as Deidara came even closer and his mouth opened more. Sakura did the same without giving it a thought, and just as they were about to mold together and their eyes were closing, a loud, deep voice boomed through the room.

"Deidara!"

Both Sakura's and Deidara's eyes widened and they abruptly pulled back and looked at the owner of the voice. In the doorway stood a huge man with scars slashing over his face. The class fell into silence immediately and anyone standing sat down quickly. Shizune returned to her desk and smiled at her blond troublemaker. "Please follow mister Morino, Deidara."

Deidara stared grimly at Ibiki Morino, before turning to Sakura and giving her a kiss on her forehead. "See you soon, Sakura." He spoke so softly even Sakura had to strain to hear it. Then, Deidara stood, placed Sakura in her chair and walked out of the room, Ibiki following him.

"All right, class. Now that that's been taken care of, let's start our lesson. As I said, open on pages 106 and 110, today we'll..."

Sakura couldn't really keep her attention on the lesson. What had just happened wouldn't let her rest, and the image of a certain blond guy kept coming into her mind's eye. She didn't dare to glance at Hinata and Ino, knowing that she'd done something unimaginably stupid. Sakura sat back in her seat and remained that way for the rest of the lesson. She couldn't stand herself.

~*~

* * *

Here it is, chapter two of part I.

Again, the next chapter will be up soon. It's already done and ready for posting, but like last time, I'll let you wait~ All so that I won't have any pressure on me to deal with concerning writing on. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it had some considerable amounts of Deisaku in it. Sasori, too, will have his part... And there'll be more, much more.


	6. I, 3: Merciful rescues

I

3, Merciful rescues

~*~

When the bell rang, Sakura was relieved to leave the room of doom. It was likely that Deidara would sit behind her every single time in this room, no matter how many times that tall detention man had to take him away. Sasori's words from the day before came back to her, and she realized that they were true. At least for Deidara. He really didn't care about rules at all. He'd rather be suspended of the lesson than having to give in.

"Sakura," Ino's voice reached her and Sakura finally looked up to the girls. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Sakura nodded. Hinata came to stand next to Sakura, who was picking up her stuff and putting hem in her bag. When the pink haired girl stood up, she noticed Hinata and they both struggled with what to say. "I'm sorry," they both said at the same time, then looked at each other and smiled.

"Why would you be sorry?" Sakura asked, "I mean, I'm the one who brought one of the most scary types in this school near you. We're probably stuck with him for the rest of this period..."

Hinata's smile turned a bit sadder. "Well, I probably wouldn't have been able to evade them anyway... It's better that I face them with my friends than alone." Sakura smiled at her words. Hinata was too kind. Both girls walked to the exit, where Shizune stopped them.

"Sakura, can I talk to you for a second?" Sakura glanced at Hinata and back at Shizune. "Of course," she said.

"I'll see you soon." Hinata smiled before departing and leaving the teacher and her friend alone in the classroom.

Shizune walked to her desk and sat down on it. "I don't know if you're realizing it, but you've gotten yourself into quite an ordeal here."

"I know," Sakura answered, looking out of the windows.

"And do you know who you're dealing with?"

The girl turned her gaze to the woman in front of her and sighed. "I... have a vague idea."

After a brief silence, Shizune continued. "I suppose a teacher shouldn't have preferences in students, but I can't deny that I do have students I like more than others." Shizune paused, thinking of how to phrase what she wanted to say. "Deidara... is one of the few I particularly dislike more than others." Sakura's eyes widened upon hearing this from a teacher no less. "Please don't take this the wrong way," Shizune added quickly when seeing the look on Sakura's face. "I really tried to understand him, to get him to listen to me, to... get along and stay friendly. But he is impossible. In the end, I gave up." She sighed, watching Sakura. "I have known him and his friends for three years now, so I think I can say with reasonable certainty that you may want to stay away from him.

Sakura looked down to the ground. "I know that. I've told them... But I don't think they're listening."

"I can relate," Shizune muttered. "Deidara seems to have gotten interested in you."

"He's not the only one," Sakura sighed, switching her weight to another leg. "Why are you telling me this anyway?"

"You seem like a good girl, Sakura. I wouldn't want you to get into trouble." Shizune gave Sakura a sad smile. "And Deidara is the embodiment of trouble, if you don't mind me saying."

Sakura shook her head. "I don't mind. You're most likely right."

"Sakura, please don't take the following question the wrong way," Shizune locked her eyes with Sakura's. "Do you like Deidara?"

Immediately Sakura's eyes widened. "What? No, I don't." _I think,_ she added to herself.

"It looked like you were enjoying—"

"I didn't! I felt really, really uncomfortable and you have no—"

"Don't worry about it," Shizune assured her. "You wouldn't be the first. He's quite the Casanova."

"Casanova," Sakura repeated, and received a nod. So Deidara was a womanizer. Her thoughts the previous day had been correct. If only she wouldn't have been so quick in dismissing it. She wondered if Sasori was, too.

"More importantly," Shizune told her, "is that you can always come to a teacher if they're going too far. As you've seen, I've given up on the friendly approach and I'll come with harsh measures. Not all teachers will do that, but there are enough who will. The school nurse and Health and Care teacher, miss Tsunade, is very fervent in having them punished. She is familiar with the principal, so if there's anything happening to you that you do not want; if you tell either her or me, something will be done about it."

Sakura looked at the black haired woman with genuine appreciation. "Thank you," she said, truly meaning it.

"Now, you should go to your next class. Tell your teacher you were with me and if there's a problem, have them come talk to me."

Sakura smiled once more and nodded at her, then left the classroom and hurried to her next lesson, Chemistry. It was a long walk to the class, which only added to her lost time, so Sakura nervously opened the door to get inside.

"Hello, miss Haruno." The voice made Sakura look to her left and she saw perhaps the most scary teacher she'd seen that day. Incredibly pale, pitch black, long hair, yellow eyes... and the lab coat made him look like a mad scientist. "You thought it was okay to just enter this class at any random time? You are too late."

Sakura swallowed as his last words contained a very dark undertone. She already disliked this teacher. "I was with miss Shizune." Wow, she'd managed to look him in the eyes and say it without stuttering.

"I'm sure you were." The man didn't sound as if he believed it, a thought strengthened by his next words which seemed to be laced with venom. "Sit down, miss Haruno. Last row, next to him." He pointed to the place she was to sit. Large tables with two chairs each were lined to the back of the class with one path going between them. Sakura saw Temari sitting near the back of the class and smiled. Then she saw her own seat. Next to Sasori. Correction: Sakura intensely disliked this teacher.

Sighing, Sakura turned around and faced the teacher, planning to reason with him. "Sir, isn't there—"

"Sit down!"

Sakura jumped and quickly went over to the back of the room. "No need to yell," she said under her breath. However, because the entire class was silent...

"I heard that, miss Haruno! Not a word from you the rest of this lesson."

Sakura arrived at her seat and sat down. She glanced at Sasori, who was smiling at her. "That's Orochimaru for you. You'll get used to him."

"I hope so," Sakura said softly.

"Quiet!" Orochimaru's voice resounded through the room.

Sakura couldn't help but scoff at this. "But Sasori just—"

"Silence!" The girl closed her mouth grudgingly and crossed her arms. Orochimaru cleared his throat and began speaking again in a calm tone. "Begin the exercises, skip question five." With this, he walked into the supplies room and left the students alone.

Sasori shifted in his seat and other students began to converse softly. The door to the supplies room was still open, and no one wanted to risk getting on the teacher's bad side. Temari walked over to Sakura and sat down on the table. "You'd better get out some books so that if Pedomaru comes out to check, at least it will seem as if you're doing something."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Pedomaru? And won't you get in trouble before me? You're sitting on the table." Despite this though, Sakura had to smile at the blond.

"Oh well," Temari shrugged, "I've got a backup plan." Then she narrowed her eyes and smirked down at Sakura. "There are rumors going around that our teach here is actually... a pedophile!" She tried to keep her voice down, but her volume went up, if only slightly.

"We all know it isn't true, but the assumption itself is hilarious. Orochimaru himself doesn't take too kindly to it." Sasori then watched Sakura. "And even if you take out your books, he'll notice immediately that you haven't done a thing." His gaze went to Temari. "Would you like to leave?"

Temari laughed shortly. "Nope, I don't. So, Sakura, any plans for tonight? I've managed to have my brother kicked out for the night, so I'll have a sleepover in my room. It'd be great if you'd come."

Sakura's eyes widened. That would be just perfect. She began to smile and was about to answer, when—

"Unfortunately, she can't come. She has a meeting with Deidara."

"What?" Temari laughed. "Too bad for him, he can meet with her some other night. So, Sakura, what do you say?"

Sakura, who had felt her joy dissipate when Sasori answered for her, again, instantly returned to her good mood at Temari's retort and Sasori's slightly irked face. "Yeah, I'd love to!"

"Great!" Temari cheered and just then discovered that the class had been silent.

"Why are you sitting... on a table, miss Sabaku?"

Instead of freezing up, like Sakura would have done if she had a creepy voice suddenly talk to her from behind, Temari quickly had an answer ready. "A dork threw away my pen, so I went to retrieve it." She produced a pen and showed it to Orochimaru.

"What 'dork', may I ask?"

"That dork," Temari pointed at a pale guy a couple of rows in front of them. At a second glance though, his skin seemed rather sickly, a grayish color.

"Go to your seat," Orochimaru told Temari. "Kisame, detention, two days."

"What? But sir, I didn't do anything."

"I won't make a court case out of this, so be quiet." Kisame glared at Temari as soon as the teacher looked away at Sakura, and Temari mouthed 'payback' before smirking at him. "Miss Haruno... why are you not doing anything."

"I, um... was distracted."

"Of course you were. How many days detention would you like?"

Sakura swallowed. She'd never had detention. Looking around herself, her eyes met Sasori's. The redhead was smirking lightly. "God punishes immediately," he said quietly.

"There is no such thing as a god, Sasori," Orochimaru said, having heard. "However, I do punish immediately."

"What do you say about today," Sasori suggested. "Detention on her first day of school... how horrible, not to mention a stain on her records."

The pale teacher grinned in delight. "Absolutely wonderful, Sasori. Today you'll be meeting with Ibiki then, miss Haruno." With this, Orochimaru turned and went to sit at his desk and rummaged through some papers.

"Worse than Anko," Sakura muttered silently, very silently.

"Don't worry about it," Sasori told her, equally as silent. "I'll escort you after school. It would seem that we'll have detention together."

* * *

When the bell rang, Sakura packed her things quickly and went over to Temari. Anything to get away from that red haired demon. He had set her up! Detention together... Anko was scary, Orochimaru was worse, but Sasori was the worst. Sneaky devious bastard. Temari introduced Sakura to the girl she sat with during Chemistry, who was somewhat nerdy looking, wore glasses, but seemed genuinely nice and was called Shiho. They walked outside and to the cafeteria in the main building together. Sakura noticed that the entire walk Sasori was walking near them. This unnerved her, but when she had gathered the courage to ask him directly, he simply pointed out that he, too, had his lunch break, just as everyone else. She had nothing to say to that.

When they arrived in the cafeteria, Sakura nearly ran to their tables and sat down opposite of Ino. Tenten sat on Ino's right and Hinata on her left.

"First of all," Sakura began, "I'm sorry. It was stupid, I didn't know what I was doing and I realize that I've made my situation so much worse but I couldn't help it and now he might think that I actually like him but I don't and Sasori made me have detention with him today because of that stupid pale creep of a teacher and," Sakura took a deep breath, "I'm in so much trouble. I don't know how to solve this all."

"Wow," Naruto said and sat down on Sakura's left, "That's some serious ranting. You sure you're okay? Did anything happen?" Sakura sighed and groaned, then put her arms on the table and let her head rest on them.

"She obviously _isn't_ okay, Naruto," Ino told him, rolling her eyes. "And Sakura, you're forgiven. Now, let's get some food and drinks and go outside. We've got an hour of relaxation ahead of us and it's a beautiful day."

Everyone agreed and they went to stand in line. Ten minutes later they all walked outside and followed Ino, who went to the middle of the field with cherry trees and sat down underneath a particularly large tree.

"We should sit here everyday," Sakura said as she sat down against the trunk. "It's beautiful here."

Ino nodded. "It is." Tenten and Hinata sat down near Ino and Sakura, and it didn't take long for Temari and Naruto to come sit near them, with Kankuro and Gaara in tow.

"These are my little brothers," Temari began, and pulled the both of them to her. "This brown haired one is Kankuro, he loves dolls—"

"Temari, don't!" Kankuro ground out, obviously frustrated with his older sister, and wrestled himself out of her grip.

"And the much cuter one," Temari frowned at Kankuro, then directed her gaze lovingly at her other little brother, "is Gaara, the youngest of us three."

Gaara blinked and sighed, but made no move to remove himself from his sister's hold. "Nice to meet you," he said to Sakura, who smiled at him. He blinked again at this, but stayed silent.

"You haven't met the others yet, either," Naruto piped in, voice energetic as always. "Lee, Shikamaru, Chouji! Come here and meet Sakura!" Four heads looked their way and got up to walk to them.

"I thought I'd come too," Kiba said. "So, doom girl's still alive, huh?" He sat down near Sakura and grinned at her, but it didn't last long, for Tenten whacked him on the head, the umpteenth time that day. "Yo," Shikamaru greeted and sat down in the grass next to Chouji, who introduced them both to Sakura.

"Sakura Haruno, it is truly a pleasure meeting you!" A rather enthusiastic, rather green boy knelt down in front of Sakura and grabbed her hands. "My name is Lee, I hope we will become the best of friends!"

Sakura just stared at his exuberance. "Wow," she let out. "Uh, it's nice to meet you too, Lee." When he kept holding her hands and smiling at her, Sakura told him to please sit down. Thankfully, he did what she said and Sakura quickly felt a lot less awkward.

"But I just remembered," Naruto began, "Why'd you call Sakura 'doom girl', Kiba?"

Everyone had continued eating and conversing as Kiba looked at him. "Huh? Oh, Sakura's being..." He glanced at Sakura, who caught his gaze and shrugged. "...She has unwelcome attention from certain guys."

Lee turned around and abandoned his conversation with Chouji and Shikamaru. ""Is Sakura being harassed? Sakura, is that true?" His eyes were wide as he asked her.

"It is," she sighed.

"Sakura," Lee said seriously, "I promise I will protect you with all my power and everything I have!" He gave her a thumbs up and Sakura, again, stared.

"Um, thank you." Lee smiled at her before his attention was pulled back to his previous conversation.

"I think I've missed something," Naruto said. "Ino, speak up."

"Hey!" she cried indignantly, frowning at him, "I don't talk on demand!" Naruto's face made her continue anyway. He hated not being told. "Deidara and Sasori want something from her. But... I don't know if I'm the right person to tell you..." She looked at Sakura.

"You didn't mind if I cared when you told everyone about me," Tenten added with a sour face.

"That was innocent, Tenten. Sakura's dealing with... something more intense."

"Are you saying me liking Neji is not intense!?" When everyone abruptly stopped talking and went quiet, Tenten realized her little outburst might just have been something she should have refrained from doing.

"And here I thought it was just a joke," Kiba said, surprised. Tenten blushed and crossed her arms while avoiding the gazes on her.

"Deidara and Sasori... are trying to get close to me," Sakura began after a short silence. "Especially Deidara. Up until now, in every class they got me to sit near them with the exception of English and Literature. I'm so glad about that..." She sighed and leaned back against the tree and pulled her knees up. "Sasori is not as forward as Deidara, who..." She thought back about what he did during Maths. She didn't have to tell everything, did she? "Well, I have detention after school, no thanks to Sasori, and Deidara is going to see me tonight, or so he said."

"Luckily you're with me, then," Temari added with a comforting grin. "And now, officially: Tonight, sleepover in my room, girls only!"

"Yay," Kankuro muttered.

"Shut it, you," Temari told him playfully. "You'll get to sleep over at Shikamaru's."

"Yeah, along with the masochist."

"You're worried about that?" Shikamaru sighed. "I'm stuck with him every single night. Have sympathy."

"I truly wonder who decides who sleeps where in this school." Naruto had spoken up. "I mean, I'm with that jerk Sasuke and Pain in the same room! The one I hate and hates me, and the one who coincidentally is the leader of the group that's out to get me."

"Wasn't that your own fault?" Shikamaru commented.

"What? No! Maybe. Okay, fine. But not entirely!"

"Sure," the lazy genius retorted.

"What happened?" Sakura questioned.

Naruto's baleful look disappeared upon hearing her soft voice. "Okay, this is the story." He took the last bite of his sandwich and took a breath. "When I came here, I got a room, of course. I already knew Sasuke from middle school, so I knew we didn't like each other. Turned out we both got put in the same room, along with someone else but he wasn't there yet. Sasuke and I divided the room so that each had their own part where the other was not allowed. But we went a bit too far, I guess." Naruto chuckled lightly.

"Anyway, in the end I had one half of the room, the side with the window and half of the bathroom. Sasuke had the other part of the room and the other half of the bathroom. The bed in the middle of the room marked the border of our territories. Originally Pain had the middle stroke of the room, but in the end that stroke was reduced to a stroke alongside the wall with the door. He had his bed, too, but it was in the middle of the room. Then again, with a jump he could reach that, so I saw no problem there. Then Pain came inside and Sasuke and I immediately pushed him on his part and drew lines on the floor that marked the borders. He commented that his bed didn't even fit on his part, I told him he could jump and the next thing I know is a terrible headache."

The guys laughed at this point, even thought having heard the story before. "From that day on, I never had the feeling Pain liked me all that much."

"You think?" Ino rolled her eyes. "Really, you're so dense sometimes." She leaned back against the tree trunk and looked up to the sky. "Aah!" The shriek of surprise had everyone look her way. Ino backed away from the tree and ended up next to Naruto and Temari, while looking up in the tree's branches. There, about three meters high in the tree, sat Deidara, leaning against the trunk with his arms behind his head. He began laughing as he heard murmurs of surprise beneath him.

"Took you long enough, hmm."

"How long have you been up there?" Naruto yelled.

"Long enough," Deidara shot back, grinning at him. "I never heard that story, hmm. So that is the actual reason." He laughed again, then leisurely got up and jumped down, landing where Ino had previously sat. He sat down and pulled Sakura to him, leaned down and inhaled the scent of her hair. "While I was with Ibiki, I remembered you fragrance." He spoke softly, and Sakura doubted anyone else could hear it. "I missed it." He inhaled deeply and proceeded with giving her a kiss in her hair.

Sakura couldn't move. Not only because his hold restricted her movements, but on the inside she was frozen up.

"Sakura!" Lee's voice made her open her eyes and look at the others who watched her with horror and pity in their eyes. "Sakura! Does he have your consent?" She took a shaky breath and shook her head lightly.

"She's blushing, isn't she," Deidara told the boy clad in green. Sakura blinked. She was blushing? Tenten was absolutely right. She gave off the wrong signs. "She's just confused," Deidara continued. Confused... He got a point there, Sakura realized.

The long haired blond put his hand through her hair when Sakura finally made a move. She tried to get her arms out from behind her back to push Deidara away. She didn't succeed, so she lifted her head to tell Deidara to let her go. However, as she did this, Deidara leaned down and captured her in a kiss. Sakura let out a surprised sound and her eyes widened. Why was she letting this happen? Feeling anger rise, Sakura glared at Deidara's one visible eye and turned her head away, effectively breaking the kiss. "Stop this, Deidara. I've had enough."

Amazingly, Deidara was rendered speechless for a few seconds. "Oh no, you don't," he said after his short silence. "Not by far." His hand went through her pink locks again.

"Deidara!" The blond guy and the pink haired girl turned to the one who had spoken. Lee stood in front of them, looking down at them both. "Let Sakura go. She doesn't want you near her."

Deidara eyed the boy with derision. "Right. Who were you again, hmm?"

"My name is Lee, and I have sworn to this beautiful lady that I would protect her against the likes of you. Please release her. This was your second warning."

"Warning?" Deidara chuckled. "What's a freshman like you going to do?" He pulled Sakura closer, who tried to wiggle out of his grasp. She met Lee's gaze and saw him smile with determination.

"Lee, I don't want you to get hurt. I can handle this." She continued her struggles and noticed that despite her words she wasn't handling this at all.

Little did she know, but Lee's determination only intensified. "Third warning," he said, loudly and clearly.

Deidara smirked and raised his eyebrow. "Bring it on. I'm not letting her go, hmm."

"All right," Lee spoke, closing his eyes momentarily and bringing his hands together. "As you wish. Sakura, please protect yourself."

Sakura stopped her struggles. "What?"

With a loud cry, Lee quickly shot forward and kicked Deidara swiftly in the chest. Upon the impact the blond blond flew back two meters and landed flat on his back. Lee grabbed Sakura's hands and pulled her up and behind him. He focused on Deidara next, who had gotten up with help of the tree. He stood straight and watched Lee with the kind of gaze Sakura recognized from when she first met him. Cold, calculating, and murderous. His eyes went to the others of their group and then back to Lee.

"Lee, wasn't it?"

Lee gave him a resolute nod and kept his gaze locked with Deidara's.

"Later, Sakura." Deidara flashed her a smile, turned around and walked in the direction of the cafeteria. He disappeared out of sight behind the many trees.

"Go Lee! Fantastic!" Ino cheered, and the others joined in soon.

"Thank you, Lee," Sakura told him and smiled.

"It was my honor to defend you, Sakura!" Lee gave her a wide smile back. "If anything ever happens to you, don't hesitate to ask me! I'll always help you."

Sakura's smile stayed and she felt, however cheesy it may sound, all warm inside. Lee didn't even know her, and yet he just did that for her. Despite his weird looks, with the strange haircut and thick eyebrows on top of the green clothes, he was okay. Speaking of green clothes...

Sakura sat down against the tree again, not letting herself get scared away by what had just occurred. "Say, Lee, why aren't you wearing the school uniform?"

"Oh, he's like a son to Gai," Ino answered for him, and sat down next to Sakura, after checking the perimeter thoroughly with her eyes.

"That's right!" Lee shouted full of glee. "So he went through the trouble that came with making me the one time only exception." Lee nearly had tears in his eyes at this point, which did not go unnoticed by everyone else and many rolled their eyes. Sakura just shook her head and smiled.

Naruto came over and plopped down near Ino and Sakura. "Next time I'll help you out, too, Sakura."

Tenten, Hinata and Temari came over and sat down as well. "Why didn't you help immediately," Tenten said, throwing Naruto a weary look. "You were kind of lame."

Naruto scoffed. "What? You didn't do anything either! I just thought that maybe Sakura didn't mind, you know? I mean, earlier today... and Sakura, well, she didn't really do anything against him... And now, when she did do something against him, bushy brows had already jumped into action." He stared at Tenten. "Well? What's your excuse?"

Tenten glanced at Ino and averted her eyes. "My reason's better, and most of all, far more delicate."

"...And?" Naruto prompted.

"And nothing! I'm not telling you. This is... personal, okay? Leave the matter alone. When all this shit is over I'll tell you, but only when it's really over and no harm can be done about it."

"Fine." Naruto frowned. "I'll remember it." He stood and walked to Lee and the other guys, where he sat down, back turned to them.

"How immature," Tenten muttered softly.

The girls were silent for a few minutes, finishing whatever they had left of their food or drinks. "So, are you going to tell us?" Temari asked, making sure the boys couldn't hear.

"I... suppose I could," Tenten answered. "But you must all swear not to tell a soul, and don't talk about it with anyone." The girls nodded, Ino glanced around her once more, assuring herself that absolutely no one was listening in on them.

"Has this to do with you and Sasori today?" Sakura asked. She'd wondered what had made the brown haired, fiery girl back down so suddenly.

"I am very lucky to have a room on the all girls floor together with Hinata. Temari," Tenten turned to look at the blond with the pigtails, "You are so lucky to have to share your room with your brother, Kankuro. And Sakura," she turned to watch Sakura, "Having a room on your own isn't everything, but it's a lot better than having to share with someone you utterly dislike."

"Hey, having to share with my brother isn't everything, either," Temari added, shooting Kankuro a short glare before looking back at Tenten.

"I guess so. I never have any fallouts with Hinata." The girl gave Hinata a grin and she smiled back. "What happened with Sasori..." Tenten took a deep breath, giving Ino a meaningful glance. "A lot of the guys are roomies with guys they despise, but it's worse if a girl is roomed with a guy she doesn't like at all. I mean, guys can bitch and quarrel, but a girl and a guy... the girl can't win." Ino sighed, already fearing where this was headed towards. "There's this nice girl, Ayame, who likes Naruto, yeah, there actually are girls like that. Anyway, the girl is roommates with Zaku, the infamous ladies' man of the sound. He's cocky, arrogant and a bastard in general, while Ayame's nice, sweet and helpful and selfless. She got nothing against him." Tenten shook her head. "And the fearsome leader of the sound, Kimimaru, is roomed with Udon and Matsuri, both cute little freshmen. Do you have any idea how much that spells doom?"

"We know the situations," Ino commented offhandedly.

"Sakura doesn't," Tenten retorted. "Ino is paired with an Akatsuki as her roommate. And not just any Akatsuki. It's Kakuzu. You've met him today, Sakura. He sits next to you in Biology. I sit on his other side, which I do not like, but I wanted to sit near to you so that if Sasori would do... Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter much anymore, seeing that..." Tenten glanced at Ino and swallowed, "I'm really sorry, Ino. He threatened that if I were to interfere with him and Sakura, he'd get Kakuzu to do something to you, and I've heard the stories and... I'm sorry. He might've been bluffing but I didn't want to risk it."

A silence ensued, which Ino broke. "It's all right, Tenten." Though, even as she said this, her voice wavered slightly and the smile she threw at her friend didn't seem happy. The girls remained quiet for a couple of minutes, in which they listened to the guys talk and absently observed their surroundings.

"Good, change of subject," Temari announced. She shifted in her spot on the grass and lay down on her back. "You'll all come tonight, right?"

"I will," Ino agreed, and the others did, too.

"Just one thing," Sakura began asking, "What is your room number?"

Temari stared, then began laughing. "That's right, I never told you. My room's at the third floor, number 465."

Sakura nodded. "That's on my floor. I think I can find it."

"Someone of us could always come pick you up and walk with you. Sure you don't want that?" Tenten raised an eyebrow and watched Sakura. "You never know." The pink haired girl looked around herself and thought about it.

"Don't be pessimistic," Ino told Tenten, glaring at the ground. Then she raised her gaze and eyed Sakura. "If Sakura wants to walk alone, then she should be able to do so. She shouldn't fear every moment alone just because some annoying figure might show up. If everyone would do that, the world would be one big paranoid place." Ino let herself drop backwards and fell on her back on the grass and stared up at the sky.

"You're probably right," Sakura said to this and pulled her knees up to rest her chin on them.

"It's getting cloudy." Ino watched as clouds drifted closer in the wide sky. "That's really too bad. I'd have liked to lie in the sun for a while..." She let out a soft moan and put her hands over her eyes. Hinata raised her eyes and looked at the oncoming clouds. She sighed softly and lay down on her back as well, her long hair sprawled around her head.

"Well, since everyone's doing it..." Tenten flopped down too and watched the sky above with distant eyes. Sakura leaned back against the trunk and looked above. She half expected someone sitting above her and throwing her a grin that promised many things, but only saw the tree's branches with countless pink leaves, reaching out to the blue sky. Ino was right. There were clouds drifting closer.

The girl focused on the sky again, the cloudless part that still dominated. For some reason, the color of it reminded of a certain guy's eyes. Sky blue. As she thought about it, she found that it was actually a very rare color. Naruto's blue eyes were much darker and fuller, like cerulean. They were still a light blue, but darker than Deidara's. Ino had blue eyes, too, but hers were more like grayish blue, with a darker edge around the iris. A pink leaf fell down. Sakura watched it fall and land on her knee. She reached for it and picked it up, examining the color, now that she was at it. Her name was borrowed from this tree, and the pink leaf in her hand did match her hair color nearly perfectly. She wondered if she'd been born with a small mop of pink hair on her head, considering her name. And there she was thinking that babies were born without hair. Sakura shook her head and took a deep breath that she let go a couple of seconds later. Well, it wasn't like she could ask her parents. It would likely stay a mystery forever.

~*~

* * *

Chapter three~ Here it is.

Thank you for the reviews thus far. I've never asked for them and I will continue writing even without them, but they are very much appreciated^^ Many hugs for you all, also for the ones who don't review but read my story nonetheless.

I hope you enjoyed. Chapter four is done and will be posted soon!


	7. I, 4: Matters to think about

I

4, Matters to think about

~*~

When the bell rang, the twelve kids surrounding the pink tree in the middle of the cherry field reluctantly got up to go to their classes.

"Health and Care," Ino said happily, clapping her hands together.

"Me, too," Sakura told her.

"Great! We'll walk together." They said their byes to the rest and went to their lesson. They didn't encounter anyone unwanted... until they arrived in the classroom. Both Deidara and Kakuzu were there, along with Konan and the guy that did push ups with only one arm. None of them sat in a seat, instead they all stood in the front of the class. "Hey, pink!"

"Don't react, Sakura, don't react," Ino whispered quickly. Sakura just turned to look at the owner of the voice. "Don't look either!" the blond whispered again, but it was too late for that. The guy Sakura locked eyes with was the push ups guy. He grinned at her and made his way over, Deidara following.

"No time for chatting!" A blond woman with rich, honey-golden colored eyes and a voluptuous figure interrupted the guy before he could even start talking. He glared at her, but kept his mouth shut closed. A moment later Gaara entered the classroom and the teacher started speaking. "I see I have a new student in my class. My name is Tsunade, and you are... Sakura, isn't it?" Sakura nodded at her, and she continued. "All right! Today I'm making a new setup of the classroom, so everyone will have new seats."

Sakura looked at the interior of the classroom, that consisted of two rows of three tables, each table having two seats. The teacher's desk was in front of the two rows, and on its left stood a table with no seats, but books were placed on top of it. "Good, the table in the far left, yes, I'll be making the pairs: Deidara and Sakura. In front of them, Hidan and Ino. The table next to Deidara and Sakura: Konan and Gaara. In front of them, Kakuzu and..."

Tsunade went on with the list as Sakura and Ino stared at each other, then looked at their partners who grinned at them and finally looking at one another again with horror in their eyes. "Girl," Ino stated, "You're not the only one with troubles anymore."

"Get to your seats and the lesson will begin!"

Hidan shouted out a loud "Woohoo!" and ran to his seat while being scolded by Tsunade for yelling. He ignored her completely, pissing her off, and watched with a grin as Ino sighed and made her way to him, shooting Sakura a sympathetic look. Sakura watched her go and moved her gaze to her own partner. Deidara. He had sat down in the seat behind Hidan and when he caught her gaze he slowly began smiling. Though Sakura was unnerved by this she only had to look at Ino, who had sat down on Hidan's left, and catch the way Hidan was smiling at her to know that she didn't have it all that bad.

Deidara's smile was uncanny in it's own right, but Hidan smiled in such a way that made Sakura wonder if he was going to... hurt her or something. It seemed sadistic. Sakura went to sit in her seat and turned to look at Deidara. She knew he wanted something from her, and she had a pretty good guess, but at least Deidara's gaze and smile seemed hungry instead of sadistic... And why was she comforted by that again? Sakura eyed Hidan just as he threw her a glance, met his pink eyes—pink?!—saw him beginning to grin and abruptly looked at Deidara again. He raised his eyebrow and Sakura managed a smile. Yeah, she really was lucky.

"Are you comfortable around me?" Deidara asked while maintaining his smile.

"No," Sakura answered and kept smiling back. Deidara's smile widened and Sakura averted her gaze to look at Tsunade.

"First of all, some announcements. The care for a baby doll project will happen before the end of the year." Deidara sighed at this, not looking forward to taking care of an annoying fake baby that still managed to cry and wet itself, while Hidan cheered at the prospect of being able to break it down to its nonexistent bones. The silver haired guy was shut up by a glare of Tsunade's and she continued on. "First aid has gotten the green light and will be our topic this week. Sex ed will be done before the end of this month."

"Hell fuckin' yeah!" Hidan, again, shouted out loudly for everyone to hear and pumped his fist up in the air.

"Hidan! This was the last time you raised your voice like that! Do it again and I can ensure you my foot will be up your ass before you can utter the word 'painful'." Tsunade's glare was menacing as she looked at the eighteen year old. Hidan smiled and held both his hands up while apologizing. Apparently satisfied with this, Tsunade continued on and began with introducing this week's topic. She walked through the class with the books that lay on the unused table and gave one to each pair. "You're allowed to write in it, I suggest you start with both your names. You may start with reading the first chapter, paragraph one and make the corresponding assignments."

The teacher sat down at her desk and looked through some papers. All of a sudden, she gasped at one piece of paper in particular and stood up to leave the room. "Work on you assignments, I'll be back in five minutes," she told her class, then left through the door.

"Finally!" Hidan turned in his seat and leaned with his elbows on the table Deidara and Sakura shared. "Ya know, I wouldn't mind her spanking me." He grinned and Deidara chuckled, then told Hidan he wasn't surprised. "So, pink. I'm Hidan," the silver haired guy began as he turned his head to watch Sakura. "I'm one of the guys Deidara here hangs around with. Will I get to see you sometime or are you going to spend all your fucking time with the happy go luckies? I mean, seriously, you deserve some less dorky friends." He shot a glance at Ino, who was busily filling in the book, and then looked at Gaara, who sat on Konan's left and was spacing out. Hidan then focused his attention on Sakura again. "With your looks, you've got much potential, seriously."

By now, Sakura found her voice she thought she lost as Hidan turned around and spoke to him, "What do you mean, potential?" She grabbed the book that was handed to her and Deidara and opened it. She was intent on not appearing uncomfortable at all. Opening her bag, she picked up a pen and started writing her name in the book.

"Potential for being cool," Hidan answered her.

"Right," Sakura said, writing down 'Deidara' underneath her own name. "Say, Deidara? What's your last name?"

Deidara eyed her and what she was doing. "Katsuhiko," he told her, "Deidara Katsuhiko." The girl nodded and wrote the name down. "So, you're going to be boring and make the assignments instead of talking to us?"

"You know what's so great?" Sakura told them, "I'm a girl, I can do both." She gave them a small smile and turned a page in the book and began reading.

"I'll keep it in mind, hmm."

Deidara turned to Hidan and started conversing with him. Sakura only caught parts of it that she concluded to be something like: 'Where will you be tonight, hmm?' which was answered with 'I'll be in my room with pineapple head.' She had no idea what that could have meant. After reading the question in her book the second time, she looked at Deidara, Hidan, and finally Ino who was busy reading in front of her. "Ino, have you gotten to the second question yet?"

At hearing Sakura's voice, Ino turned around in her seat, carefully avoiding Hidan and Deidara's gazes. "I skipped it," she answered.

Sakura nodded, wondering if she'd do the same. However, she let go of that thought and decided to help her out. It would seem that Ino had a harder time with her partner than she had with hers. "Guys," Sakura called out, grabbing the attention of both Hidan and Deidara. "Have you ever gotten seriously hurt, or had some kind of major accident?" The guys stared at her, and Ino eyed Sakura with a grateful look. "It's a question in the book," the pink haired girl added.

"Like that," Deidara mused. "Well, there's only one answer to that." He locked eyes with Hidan and they both suddenly started grinning like maniacs. "Fuck yeah!" resounded through the room and caused many heads to look their direction.

"Both of you, some of us are trying to get some work done."

The voice came from Sakura's left, and when she turned her head to look, she saw that a blue haired girl had spoken up. She tried to remember the name, knowing that Tsunade had said it. Gaara sat on the girl's other side, and the girl's name was—

"Konan, shut it! It's a question in the book we answered, so we got every damn right to talk!"

Hidan's yelling didn't faze Konan, she kept her expression neutral. "I never said I had a problem with you talking. Unfortunately, the only thing you do is yell."

Hidan blinked and his expression wavered for a moment, but not for long. "Heh, touché." He made a grin appear on his face and continued. "If I were to talk, would that please the lady then, huh?"

"And less cursing if you please."

"I can fucking curse whenever the goddamn hell I want!"

Konan stared and fixed him with a blank look. When Hidan kept grinning at her with eyes wide open, she sighed and inwardly dubbed him a lost cause before turning to Gaara and continuing in their book.

"You first, and thusly saving the best for last, Deidara?"

Deidara smirked at Hidan. "Whatever, hmm." Hidan chuckled and sat back to turn his entire chair around to sit more comfortably. "Let's see," Deidara began and sat back in his chair. "How many events? One story or multiple?" Sakura shrugged and urged him to continue.

"All right... There was this one time when I got into a fight in middle school. Turned out one of the punks that fought me had a knife on him and he started using it on me, hmm. I have to admit I wasn't always as great as I am today, so I got hit several times. Then again, I got back at him by taking his own knife and..." Deidara watched Sakura and seemed to remember something. "Well, it came down to the little punk having to spend a couple of months in the hospital while I had some minor wounds, hmm. Still hurt like hell, but compared to that piece of beat up shit on the intensive care, it wasn't so bad." He chuckled at the memory. "I nearly got disowned that time, hmm."

Sakura almost gaped with her mouth wide open. Almost, thank god. She was glad Deidara had spared her the details. Said guy smiled at her and the girl awkwardly smiled back. Bad fish, very bad fish. "It must have been something if your parents nearly disowned you..."

"Not my parents, hmm. Caretakers." He almost spat out the word as if it tasted horrible.

"I'm sorry," Sakura quickly apologized.

"Don't be," Deidara told her. "I'm sorry for them. Why do you think they send me off to a boarding school?"

Hidan interrupted with a loud yawn. "Done with the tragic life story?" He stretched in his seat. "Why don't you go write a fucking book, seriously."

Deidara rolled his eyes and turned to Sakura. "Wanna see the scars, hmm?"

Immediately Sakura's eyes widened as she saw the blond's hands go to his shirt, about to lift it up. "No, no! I don't have to see... I don't..." She stilled as Deidara had lifted his shirt, showing off his indisputable wonderful build.

"Here," he told her, tracing with his finger over his toned abdomen. Sakura did not want to see it, she really, honestly didn't, but she couldn't look away. Her eyes were glued to what Deidara was doing, oddly fascinated by the movements he made on his skin. Why was he doing this to her?

"Want to feel, hmm?" His voice startled Sakura out of her trance like state as she had watched his finger and she met his gaze. "Touch," he repeated, beginning to smile at the way Sakura was staring at him, uncomprehending. He grabbed her hand and dragged it across his skin, letting her feel the texture of it. Sakura wanted to pull away as soon as he had grabbed her hand, but her body wasn't responding properly. As soon as she came into contact with his skin, feeling what her eyes marveled at, she didn't only loose her control of her body, but also of her line of thought.

"There, can you feel it?" It took a while for Sakura to realize that Deidara was showing her his scars, and that was only because she felt a small difference in the texture of his skin.

"Yeah..." Sakura murmured absently, engrossed in what she was seeing and feeling. With every breath his skin moved underneath her hand and when Hidan made Deidara laugh about something he said that she didn't catch, she felt more than she saw his muscles flex underneath his skin.

"I am going to the ladies' room," Ino announced and promptly stood up. "Hidan, please write your story in the book." She went over to Sakura, grabbed her left arm and pulled her away with her.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Sakura tried to resist against Ino's pull at first, but Ino wasn't going to let go.

They arrived in the ladies' room in less than twenty seconds and Ino went to block the exit. "What was that?"

"What was what?" Sakura said, confused.

"You know what I'm talking about! Come on, you were touching his abs all over and you are as red as a cherry!"

"...Red?"

"Ugh!" Ino yanked Sakura to the mirror and let her take a good look at herself. "Look, this is what I mean."

Sakura stared at herself. She slowly brought her hands up and touched her face. It looked and felt as if she were glowing. "Wow," she uttered, completely speechless.

"Yeah, wow," Ino said, shaking her head and frowning. "I thought you said you didn't like him."

"I don't," Sakura said softly.

"Are you sure about that?" Ino questioned, raising her eyebrow.

It took a moment before Sakura answered. "...No."

"What do you mean, no? You can't not know..." She stopped, collecting herself. "You either like him or you don't. You say one thing and do something else. What is wrong with you?"

"I don't know!" Sakura cried out, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I don't know."

The girls were quiet then. They stood next to each other in front of the giant mirror in silence, wondering what could be done now. If there even _could_ be done anything, for it might as well have been too late. "And now?" Sakura asked eventually, staring at her own face that had gone back to its normal color.

"Now? Now nothing," Ino answered her. "Let's just see how this turns out. You figure out by the end of the day just how much you do or do not like those... them." She caught herself before she had said anything out of line. "Conveniently, we'll see each other tonight again at Temari's. Hopefully you'll have your answers ready by then."

Sakura shook her head lightly. "What am I going to do?"

"You find out how much you care, Sakura. Do whatever you like. Warnings aren't going to help with you. Go kiss them all you want, get touchy, sleep with them," Ino threw her hands up. "I don't care."

Sakura turned around sharply. "What was that? You... You think I'd do that?"

"Oh, please," Ino began, and crossed her arms. "I know _they_ would. And if all it takes for you to get 'hypnotized by their beauty'," the words dripped with irony, "is just a grab for your hands and letting you touch their glorious abs," she sighed dramatically, "Then I don't have much hope for you."

Again, the silence. At first the two watched each other. Ino saw Sakura looking at the ground, then at the doors of the toilets, and eventually it drifted to the mirror again where the pink haired girl with green eyes saw her own reflection mirrored back at her. Her gaze darkened before finally meeting Ino's eyes. Sakura had to resist looking away or biting her lip out of guilt, the blond girl's solemn look had that much effect.

Sakura didn't speak, didn't dare to break the silence, so in the end it was Ino who had to do it. "Let's go back." Ino began walking away, opened the door and walked out.

Sakura didn't follow immediately. She looked in the mirror and stared herself down. What was next? Didn't she have her priorities? Was she just going to let it all happen to her? Was she? Sakura saw her own eyes darken. No, she hadn't planned on letting herself be used. She wasn't going to let everything that was planned for her by some sinister persons happen to her. Not if she had a choice in it. And she always had a choice. There was always a choice. The past days she had definitely done things she wouldn't ever have thought herself doing. She'd wondered about it before and now the question came into her mind again. Was she losing herself?

"No," Sakura watched herself say, her reflection gazing determinedly back at her. Then again, even as she watched, she could see the determination waver and weaken and change into what she could only define as uncertainty. She'd never been with a guy, she had no experience whatsoever. She didn't know if there was some sort of norm everyone knew about but her. Was it normal to feel the way she felt?

Sakura sighed, giving her appearance one last glance before walking out of the door and back to the classroom. What Deidara did to her... and her own reaction... Maybe it was to be expected that she was so fascinated by what he did, for she had nothing to compare it with. She didn't want to feel what she felt, because she knew what she had gotten to know over the course of the day. Why couldn't he have been a nice guy everyone liked and never got into any sorts of trouble, let alone cause it himself.

Sakura opened the door to the classroom and stepped inside. Tsunade was already there and gave her a questioning look. "And where have you been, Sakura?"

"I..." Sakura quickly thought of something and she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "I had a little problem."

Tsunade smiled knowingly and turned around to get back to the papers she was holding. Glad the teacher was giving Health and Care and was a woman herself that would undoubtedly conclude the obvious that came with such an answer, Sakura went over to her seat.

"Lame," Hidan proclaimed loudly.

Tsunade looked up form her desk and glared at him. "A male must _never_ question a female's little problems, Hidan."

Said guy promptly burst out in laughter, which only worsened when he eyed Sakura as she walked by. Said girl quickened her pace and swiftly sat down next to Deidara. Seeing the book that lay open near him, Sakura saw that Deidara had done his part of the first ten exercises, including the story of his fight.

"You filled them in," she told him, unexpectedly surprised. Deidara smirked and nodded. Smiling slightly, Sakura picked up her pen and began on her part. Ino didn't talk for the rest of the hour. Deidara behaved. Yes, he actually behaved. When Sakura asked him about it, he told her that Tsunade was a woman that demanded respect. Like with Anko, you weren't right in your head if you messed with her. The comparison between Anko and Tsunade made Sakura take a closer look at the blond teacher, but she found that there seemed to be a great deal of difference between the two... thankfully.

When Deidara saw her scrutinizing the teacher, he assured Sakura of the fact that Tsunade could and would truly be ferocious if the situation called for it. Anko would pale in front of this woman when angered. Glad to have gotten this part of information, Sakura thanked him and made a mental note to never, ever get into a discussion with the Health and Care teacher. At the same time, she thought she understood why Shizune had told her to go to this woman when in trouble. She had a feeling Tsunade would definitely be able to help her, should she ever ask for it.

* * *

When the bell rang, Sakura didn't hurry to get out of the room and packed her stuff at a leisured pace. Ino left the room without her.

"Whatever happened while you were away, I'm glad it did, hmm." Deidara stood next to her and they walked out of the classroom together. "You seem more at ease."

"That's probably because you didn't try anything for the rest of the lesson," Sakura told him, rolling her eyes.

"So that does make you uncomfortable, hmm..." Deidara eyed her surprised stare with a smirk. "You're so easy to read." Sakura stopped walking and continued to stare at him. "What is it, hmm?"

"Are you telepathic?"

Now it was the blond's turn to stare. "What?"

"What?" Sakura frowned slightly and crossed her arms. "I just... It's so weird. I'm thinking something and you make a comment about it."

"And... that led you to believe I have otherworldly powers?" Deidara raised his one eyebrow and smiled. "Though I'm flattered you'd think me capable of—"

"Forget it," Sakura quickly said while holding up one hand and shaking her head. She began walking again and Deidara fell in step beside her.

"Am I allowed to know what transpired in the ladies' room, hmm?" The pink haired girl sighed. "No."

"Not even a little..." Sakura shook her head. "...tiny, mini—"

"It comes down to it," she began, seeing Deidara beginning to grin, "that..." What _did_ it come down to? That she had to choose whether or not she liked Deidara? And what about Sasori, come to think of it. He'd mentioned something about giving in to one of them, and that basically meant choosing one of them to... to what?

"Well?"

"I don't know."

Hold up. Sakura blinked and looked at Deidara who she'd just spoken to. "Oh yes, it comes down to spending time with you two until I go to Temari for her sleepover." Of course he hadn't answered her thoughts. Wow, she was nearly conversing with herself and thinking Deidara could hear it. Not good.

"Two? Who are 'you two', hmm?" Sakura blinked again. Her thoughts were way ahead of her. "You and Sasori," she answered.

"Ah, right. Why him, too?" Sakura sighed. Sasori hadn't even been mentioned the past hour. Deidara probably didn't even know about the whole paper conversation during Biology, which meant that he most likely didn't know that Sasori told her she had to choose one of them. Maybe he didn't even know Sasori seemed to... well, what did Sasori think of her? "Unless of course," Deidara continued, "You like both me and Sasori and don't know who to choose, hmm." _What?_ Sakura's eyes widened. Oh, so now it was her being torn between... Great. "My poor, confused little girl."

Deidara pulled Sakura into a hug and moved to the side of the hallway so the other students could walk through. "Um, it's not..." But Sakura was ignored by her handsome captor who nuzzled her neck. He pulled back and leaned forward, eyes locked with Sakura's. However, Sakura turned her head away and Deidara opted for her neck a second time, giving it soft kisses. Sakura leaned her head on his shoulder, long blond hair tickling her face.

"What does a kiss mean to you, Deidara?" She felt something warm and wet trail up her neck that sent shivers through her body. He knew what he was doing. The word Casanova went through Sakura's mind, but everything up there stilled as Deidara's tongue found her ear and he began speaking. "Kissing means as much to me as holding hands." He pulled back again and made Sakura lift her head off his shoulder. Their eyes met and Deidara leaned forward. Sakura didn't move away this time and their lips touched, at which Sakura felt whatever restraint she'd previously had melt away.

The pressure on her lips intensified as they kissed and she felt Deidara's mouth open. Closing her eyes, Sakura went along with it and sighed against his mouth. Deidara probably took this as a green light to continue whatever he'd been planning for he moved his arms up her back, placed one around her waist and a hand went through her hair to rest on the back of her head. Before the thought about what the meaning of locking her against him was crossed her mind, Sakura felt something wet she immediately recognized as a tongue push against her lips and enter. She jolted at the strange sensation and found that Deidara's arms kept her nicely in place. After this, all thought abandoned her to return at some point a minute or so later.

When Deidara pulled back from their kiss he gave her a chaste one on her lips before telling her she should get to her class, all Sakura could remember of that kiss that lasted a minute or so was that she felt inexplicably good. This could only mean two things, Sakura realized as she rested her head in Deidara's neck and inhaled his scent. She either loved kissing, or she just loved kissing Deidara.

When Sakura arrived in Economics, she saw Tenten quickly pointing at the seat next to her that was right next to a window. "Glad you're able to join us," the teacher said, looking tanned and wearing a small black beard. Sakura blushed and rushed to her seat. Hinata sat in the seat in front of her and sat in front of the teacher's desk. Naruto, who sat behind Sakura, asked if she was okay because she was all red. This only caused Sakura to blush more.

"Have you seen Ino?" Sakura asked to the brown haired girl next to her.

"Ino? No, haven't seen her. Why?"

"No reason," Sakura said, holding a hand to her face, willing the color to go away. "Okay, I need to confess something," she said softly.

Only Tenten heard and turned to her. "What is it?"

"Something big," Sakura whispered. "Really big."

"How big?" Tenten asked, eying the teacher who was zoning out while he stared at a piece of paper. Hinata turned around in her seat and watched Sakura, but still the teacher didn't move.

"Giant," was Sakura's answer.

"Speak up," Tenten urged, leaning over to her.

"Okay," Sakura said, even softer now. "I... Well, it's not very positive, but it did feel good, you know..." At the stares she got, Sakura concluded they were thinking on a whole other level. It wasn't until she heard a 'thump' behind her and Naruto was crawled beside her on the floor, out of sight of the teacher because Hinata blocked the view, that Sakura corrected their thoughts. "Okay, fine, not _that_ big. I kissed Deidara. Or, well, he kissed me. It was, well... a real kiss. Not just... lips."

Again the stares, but the momentary silence was broken by Naruto. "What?!" He abruptly stood up and the teacher, pulled out of his little reverie by the loud voice, watched him questioningly with a raised eyebrow. Pointing a finger at Sakura in a wide gesture, Naruto continued. "Sakura's been molested!"

The teacher stared at him, Sakura nearly fell out of her chair. "That's... not what I said, Naruto," she managed to tell him.

"Naruto, please get back to your seat," the teacher called out. The blond boy kept looking at Sakura for a couple of seconds before he walked over to his seat behind her. "I'm Asuma Sarutobi, by the way," the teacher said to Sakura.

She nodded at him. "I'm Sakura Haruno."

"As you know, I give Economics here at school. So, if you get your books and go make some assignments, I'm happy. And another thing," he smiled, "Talking is allowed, just don't yell."

Sakura smiled back at him, just slightly confused. He was laid back, perhaps too much so... Ah well. Sakura turned to look at Tenten, who was eying her strangely. Even though being allowed to talk, Sakura still didn't think she wanted to talk about kissing in front of other random people to hear.

"So you kissed Deidara, Sakura Haruno."

Immediately flushing, this was exactly what she had wanted to prevent from happening, Sakura turned to the voice and saw that the guy in front of Tenten had spoken up. He was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't really place him. It wasn't until he turned his entire face to her that she recognized him. He had been at the Akatsuki's table.

"I can't believe it," Naruto said from behind Sakura.

"Of course you wouldn't," they guy before Tenten said.

"Shut up, Pain."

"Naruto, no name calling, and keep the volume down," Asuma interrupted.

"I'm not calling him names! His fucking name is Pain."

"Naruto, volume, and no cursing."

"Tch..." Naruto crossed his arms and sat back. "It's like everyone's against me..."

"So, Sakura, may I assume you're interested in him?" Sakura looked at the guy with the orange brown hair and many piercings littering his facial features. He had strange eyes too, she saw. His irises were gray and seemed to be ringed. It was really unique. "I..." she began, not exactly knowing how to answer. "...suppose I'm..." _Attracted? Fascinated?_ "...oddly intrigued... by him." And someone else, too, but she thought it better to keep some things to herself.

"Oddly intrigued... Fascinating choice of words." Pain gave a little smile and turned to his book again. However, he wasn't ready to stop speaking yet. "Does it pertain to a certain other as well?" Sakura blinked. Certain other? He couldn't possibly mean— "Sasori is having his eye on you, too. I know for a fact that the words 'oddly intrigued' might apply to him too, concerning you."

Pain then grabbed a pen and started writing. Sighing, Sakura grabbed her books and went to work as well.

"I hope we'll hear all about it tonight?" Tenten inquired. Sakura nodded while keeping her gaze on her book. Who knew what had happened before that time would come...

~*~

* * *

Woohoo, Deisaku!

I hope you enjoyed. Next chapter is almost done and Sasori will finally get his 'alone time' with Sakura.


	8. I, 5: Helping hands

I

5, Helping hands

~*~

When the bell rang, Sakura had honestly made quite some progress in her Economics book. However, she had the feeling that she hadn't made much progress in the friends department. She walked out of the room after saying her byes. Strangely enough, Pain was the only one to give off friendly vibes. Considering his status as the most feared gang's leader, Sakura was thrown out of her hum for a bit.

"What's your next class?"

"Art," she answered him, noting all the strange, fearful, admiring or shocked stares directed at the two of them.

"Art," Pain repeated. "I'll lead you there."

"Oh, you really don't have to go through the trouble..." Really, Sakura hated being stared at. She'd already had enough of it.

"You're getting me wrong," the pierced guy told her. "I'm in the same class with you."

Inwardly, Sakura was not doing a happy dance. How many Akatsuki members did she have to come into contact with? They walked in silence for a minute, after which the pink haired girl broke it. "Who else has Art that I know of?"

"Konan, Deidara and Sasori. Strangely Hidan as well, as does Itachi." Sakura didn't recognize the name Itachi from anywhere, but didn't say anything. "A couple of strays from your... little group has Art too. Ino, Hinata, Temari." Sakura stared at him in surprise. "I'm sure the names mean more to you than they do to me."

The girl nodded. She hadn't expected him to know their names. "They do," she told him.

In no time they came near the Art room. How did Sakura notice? A certain blond aka Casanova and a certain redhead aka devious but pretty little bastard stood poised near the two double doors and sprung into action as Sakura and Pain came in view. They each stood with a hand on their back and the other hand on a door knob. "What are you doing?" Sakura asked the two incredulously.

"Introducing you to the überclass," Deidara answered her.

"And of course," Sasori continued, "that will have to happen with style."

"Care to play along," came from Sakura's right. She looked and saw Pain holding out his left arm. Sakura couldn't believe this. Nevertheless she took his arm and let herself be led into the classroom. Sasori and Deidara opened the doors for them at the same time, smiling charmingly while they were at it, and walked in after Sakura and Pain had entered.

"Welcome fair lady!" The first thing they all saw—and heard—was Hidan shouting loudly and pumping one fist in the air that held another guy's hand, while he motioned with his other hand towards Sakura. The guy that stood on Hidan's right had black hair that hung on each side of his face and was tied in a low ponytail at the back. Despite not looking very enthusiastic and seeming quite tired, he was handsome and elegant and had an air around him that reminded of someone who stood very high on the social ladder.

"Ah, you haven't met Itachi yet, have you," Sasori commented, seeing Sakura look. "Let me introduce you two. Itachi, Sakura Haruno. Sakura, this is Itachi Uchiha."

Sakura gave the guy a small smile and nodded at him. Itachi just looked at her, his gaze scrutinizing her from top to toe. "It's nice to meet you," he finally said to her.

"The guy's a total jack-off, so just ignore him, hmm. I do." Sakura frowned at Deidara's weird advise and turned her head to look at him, only to see him glaring viciously at the black haired guy standing in front of her.

"Shall we go to our seats," Pain suggested to them all. Agreeing noises could be heard and they moved to the right side of the room where three groups of four tables stood, half of them occupied. Konan entered the classroom and went over to Pain and Sakura. "I'll take over from here," she said.

"Oh, of course!" Sakura quickly let go of Pain's arm, embarrassed because she'd kept holding on to it for so long, and watched as they sat down at the group of tables in the middle.

"They're a thing together," Sasori informed her, standing to her right and occupying Pain's previous place.

"Care to sit down, hmm?"

The voice whispering in Sakura's left ear made her jump away and collide with Sasori, who quickly grabbed around her waist so she didn't fall over and most likely trying to calm her down, too. "Hush," his soft voice came, "It's just the brat."

"I'll pretend not to have heard that, hmm."

"Go do that," Sasori retorted. "Anyway, Sakura," he unwound his arms from around her waist and stroked her sides while breathing in her hair, "Why don't you go to your seat?"

Sakura blinked and quickly realized how they stood. "Yeah," she muttered and walked away from him and to the tables. She saw there were only two seats left at the table of Konan and Pain. Sakura stopped and whirled around. "Wait a minute, there are only two seats left! And the three of us—"

"Will all sit there, snugly together," Deidara finished for her.

"I'm not going to sit on either of your laps."

Both Sasori and Deidara actually looked disappointed. "Fine, hmm." Then he walked away to the other end of the room, and Sasori walked to the two leftover seats, pulling Sakura along with him. He sat down and pushed Sakura in the seat to his left.

"What is Deidara going to do now?" Sakura asked, making to turn her head to catch a glimpse of the blond guy but was stopped by the redhead next to her. Sasori held a hand to her cheek and prevented her to look behind herself. "Don't worry about it."

The girl looked forward again, hoping the hand on her cheek would fall away. It lingered a bit, but Sasori did pull it away. A black haired woman entered the classroom, and at the same time a chair was set on Sakura's left and she herself was pushed with chair and all to the right, closer to Sasori.

"And there I was again, hmm."

"Forgive me if I'm not cheering with joy," Sasori said, letting out a sigh soon after.

"Hello, Sakura, isn't it?" Sakura looked up at the woman who sat at her desk in the corner of the room. She had red eyes and long, black, curly hair. Quite a beautiful woman in Sakura's eyes. "My name is Kurenai Yuuhi," the woman continued, "And you can call me Kurenai, just Kurenai. Please don't 'miss' me, I'll feel old."

Deidara scoffed at this. "Old? You aren't old, Kurenai. Get the idea out of your head, hmm." Several students agreed and Kurenai smiled.

"Thank you, really. But Sakura, are you fine with sitting there?" Sakura glanced at Deidara and Sasori who were looking at her expectantly and blurted out that she didn't mind. Kurenai nodded at this and began her lesson.

"I'm glad you don't mind, hmm," Deidara whispered and lay a hand on Sakura's left thigh. Flushing, the girl shifted a bit more towards Sasori, who eyed Deidara's hand and seemed thoughtful. A second later he moved his left hand and lay it atop Deidara's. Said blond guy grinned and twined his fingers with the hand atop his, glanced down at the hands and yelped before pulling his own hand abruptly back. "What the hell was that, hmm!?"

Sasori lay his hand back in his lap and replied to him. "Lending a helping hand."

Sakura sighed as she sat in between the glares being sent past her. The guys were acting weird again, it reminded her of the day before when she'd sat with the both of them in the cafeteria. What was she supposed to do with them? The girl sat back, the thought of melting into her chair crossing her mind for a lingering moment, and tried to be comfortable while she was making herself listen to the teacher. A minute later they all had a sheet of paper on their tables and were told to begin this week's assignment. The students took out pencils, sketching with a pen was considered crude. You just didn't do it. At least, until your idea was approved and you were allowed on to begin the next stage.

"Memories..." Deidara said aloud while tapping his pencil on the tabletop. Sakura was thinking about the subject too, trying to get an idea to pop out of her mind and show itself on the paper sheet.

"Stop tapping," Sasori ground out softly, evidently aiming the words at Deidara. The entire class was chatting while they were busy, so it wasn't as if the sound pulled any unwanted attention to it.

"Why, can't concentrate?" the blond guy answered. Sasori glared at him and Deidara smirked before tapping again, louder this time and maintaining some sort of rhythm. Luckily for Sasori, he wasn't the only one gradually getting mad by the noise. The redhead made a quick grab for the irritating pencil, missed by a hair's width, was about to make an angry comment but was stopped before he was able to do so.

"Your pencil will break." Konan swiftly took Deidara's pencil and put it in her hair that was pulled up into a bun.

"Thank you," Sasori said gratefully, shot Deidara a quick, smug glance and returned to his own thoughts.

"Very nice and all, but how exactly am I going to sketch now, hmm." Deidara glared at Sasori and shot Konan an irritated, yet inquisitive look. He was silently hoping he'd just return his pencil, but Konan's gaze directed at him didn't give him much to hope for.

"Perhaps you can start with thinking for once." Konan then turned to her own work, missing the vicious glare Deidara now shot at her.

"I've been thinking the entire time!"

"Deidara." The blond's glare disappeared in an instant and he eyed Pain who was staring at him. "You won't use such a tone when talking to Konan."

The two held each other's gaze for a moment before returning to what they had been doing previously. Pain went back to his sketch that was nearly finished and Deidara crossed his arms on his table while staring down at his blanc paper. Within the next twenty minutes both Konan and Pain had gotten their ideas approved by Kurenai and started on the actual work. Deidara had finally begun sketching, Sakura was still looking at her blanc sheet and Sasori was nearly done.

"So this is it?" Kurenai stood next to Sasori and examined his sketches. The redhead nodded and the teacher asked about the medium that he would use.

"A carving out of wood." Sasori added some small details and notes on his paper and this time it was Kurenai who nodded.

"All right," she told him, "You know where to find your materials. I'm very curious as to how well it will be executed this time." The woman smiled down at him and then drifted her gaze over to the other two remaining at the table. She walked a few steps and stood still behind the blond guy and the pink haired girl. "How are you two faring?"

Deidara groaned and dramatically sagged in his seat. "I want my pencil back. This one s..." He eyed the teacher in a split second and altered what he was about to say. "This one's annoying to draw with."

"Poor boy," Kurenai cooed and watched his sketch. "It doesn't look so bad, though. I think the problem with your pencil is all in here." She lightly poked Deidara on his head, who chuckled in return.

"Yeah, right, hmm. So in other words, there is no problem at all."

"That's right. How are you going to do this?" The woman gestured to his sketches.

"Sculpt," Deidara answered smoothly and made a flowing movement through the air with his left hand.

"That's fine," Kurenai said with a small smile. "And Sakura, any inspiration?"

Sakura watched Deidara's design and looked thoughtful. The subject was 'memories', and Sakura couldn't really find anything significant to use as inspiration. "I thought that maybe I could paint," she said to the teacher who gave her a nod. "But... I don't have any ideas on what to paint, actually."

"You don't?" Kurenai lifted her eyebrows, looking with her warm red eyes into Sakura's cool green ones. "Surely there must be something. It doesn't have to be much. Something small will do."

The pink haired girl sighed. "My life has been really boring."

"I don't believe it," the woman said, crossing her arms and looking over to the students who were already busy. As it turned out, Sakura and Deidara were the only ones still sketching. "A gift from your parents or grandparents? Childhood friends? Memorable vacations? First crush? There can't not be anything." Kurenai smiled at Sakura's face as she contemplated her words.

"So there can be something," the girl muttered, the teacher's last sentence taking her a second to comprehend. She looked up at the woman who smiled down at her. Leaning back in her chair, Sakura mulled the words over. She had no memorable gifts from her family, hadn't ever been on vacation to some exotic country. She'd never had real friends, somehow always ending up being the class' black sheep. And crushes? Anyone she'd had the misfortune of crushing on had only made her feel miserable. No luck there.

"You honestly can't get any ideas? I'm offended, hmm." Sakura blinked and looked to her left to see Deidara watching her. She couldn't tell if he was amused or actually offended. And why would he be in the first place? After all, he had nothing to do with her memories. "Want me to help you with thinking something up?"

"Go ahead," Sakura told him.

"Let's say... your first kiss, hmm."

"What?" Sakura stared at him, wide eyed. That didn't count, did it? It had just happened, a couple of hours ago. "That's not a memory, it just happened!"

Deidara only raised his eyebrow. "So? Are you saying it's not a memory because it's fresh in your mind?"

"I think it's perfect." The teacher's comment earned a smirk from Deidara, which he unashamedly directed at Sakura. Kurenai pointed to the other side of the classroom. At least half of the students were over there, working with all sorts of materials. "Deidara, take her to the other side and show her around and get her to work."

"Yes ma'am!"

"But miss, I haven't even gotten my sketch ready!" Sakura eyed her blanc piece of paper and sighed before realizing the mistake she'd made. "I mean Kurenai! Sorry." She smiled sheepishly and hoped the black haired woman wouldn't get mad. She hadn't struck her as the temper type, but you never knew for sure.

"I'm going to get a complex someday..." Kurenai shook her head while smiling lightly, making one wonder whether or not she was being serious. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'd like you to make Deidara get you a canvas and just start painting. Follow your feelings and show me the result by the end of this week."

Sakura really didn't know what else to do than nod. Taking this as his cue, Deidara stood up and pulled Sakura along by her arm as he walked to the other side of the room, which had changed into a chaotic mess consisting of random tables that had popped up out of nowhere and canvasses and painting tools strewn all around. Both Pain and Konan sat together and worked on a big canvas, Sasori had sat himself at a table with pieces of wood in front of him and held sharp carving knives in his hands while he worked.

"There." Deidara put down a canvas in front of Sakura, roughly the size of a tabletop. "You see those closets?" The blond's finger pointed at the two big closets in the corner to Sakura's left. "They contain all sorts of paint. I'm sure you can find some for yourself, hmm." The girl nodded and Deidara pointed to the closets in the corner to Sakura's right, gleaming brightly in the light pouring in through the large windows on that side of the room. A great plant was situated near the closets, white flowers blooming beautifully. "Those contain practically everything else, but if you can't even find what you're looking for there, there's always the supplies room." They turned around and faced the door that apparently led to the supplies room. "And that was basically it, hmm."

"I think I can remember this," Sakura said. She watched her canvas and stared at it, trying to picture what her painting was going to look like. All of a sudden, a chair was shoved under her ass and Sakura dropped down on it.

"Get to work, pink!" A paintbrush was dropped on Sakura's lap. Hidan pulled his own canvas up next to Sakura and sat down after fetching his own brush and palette.

"Not so rough, Hidan," Deidara spoke from Sakura's left. "Keep an eye on her, will ya, hmm." Hidan grinned in response. "Well, I'm off to start working myself, so I'll leave you two in peace, hmm."

"Thank you," came Hidan's retort, "Now leave us the fuck alone and let us work."

Deidara just chuckled and waved the comment off as he walked away in the direction of the closets that 'contained practically everything else'. Meanwhile, the pink haired girl came to notice what Hidan's work looked like. The canvas, about the size of Sakura's, was painted in all kinds of reds, purples and tones of black. Even odder than that were the actual patterns of the colors. The blacks on the undefinable purple background reminded of persons, and the red splatters obviously represented blood, sprayed anywhere and everywhere on the painting.

"Remember Health and care? Your little question gave me the inspiration to do this!" Hidan grinned down at her and Sakura smiled back, be it uncomfortably. In the girl's opinion, the guy had issues. "Well, come on! Your whatever-it-is isn't going to paint itself, seriously." The friendly push Sakura received on her back was no doubt given with no ill intent, but she went flying face first into her canvas nonetheless.

"Whoops, sorry."

Sakura scrambled up, righted her canvas and sat herself on the chair. "Never mind," she said while rubbing her sore left knee that had hit the floor hard.

"Great," Hidan said with a smile. His gaze lingered on Sakura a little longer before he focused it on his painting. Despite his words, Sakura had the nagging feeling that Hidan really didn't care at all whether or not she might have hurt herself. In fact, his stare just moments ago, plus the smile, seemed to indicate he was rather enjoying himself—and her pain.

* * *

When the bell rang Sakura let out a sigh of relief and sat back in her chair. The only thing she'd managed to get on her canvas was the red background. She didn't know the exact reason why she'd done it, but figured that red was the color of love, so it was a start in the right direction. At least, she hoped it was. Hidan seemed glad with the color—for reasons she didn't even _want_ to guess—and that had to count for something.

After cleaning up her stuff and putting away her canvas—she really didn't have a clue as to where to put it, so she just left it near all the other ones—Sakura grabbed her bag and saw Hinata, Ino and Temari standing together, talking. When she called out and made her way over to them, Ino glanced at her just once before quickly ushering the girls out of the classroom. Sakura was left standing alone and watched their retreat. Hinata glanced backwards over her shoulder, shooting the pink haired girl a confused look. The only thing Sakura could offer was a sad smile, and then the girls were out of her sight. The silence that followed wasn't even registered by Sakura. That was, not until she let out a sigh filled with her feelings at that moment and heard it echo lightly. Moments passed in which Sakura thought about how to make it right. And to make what right, really?

"Woe you." Blinking, Sakura realized that she wasn't alone in the classroom. Looking to her side she saw Sasori watching her with a bored expression. "Come, we need to go." He walked to the exit of the room and stood still in the door opening. "Do I need to take your hand and drag you?" When Sakura didn't move and frowned at him, Sasori went on. "Detention, Sakura. Did you forget?"

He walked out the doorway without another glance. This time Sakura was really left standing alone in the room. Closing her eyes, or rather clenching them shut, the girl brought a hand up and held it against her head in irritation. Then, realizing she had absolutely no idea where the tall detention man was to be found, Sakura finally began to move and hurried after Sasori by running in the direction she'd seen him leave in. Sasori was nowhere to be seen as she ran through the deserted hallways.

When she came upon a case of stairs, Sakura figured that he must have gone to another floor. Seeing that she was on the second floor, which was the highest floor in this school building, the girl went down the stairs and walked through the hallways on the first floor .What was the point of running anyway. It was obvious that she'd lost Sasori and whatever trail he might or might not have left behind. Rounding another corner, Sakura arrived at the staircase again. Another floor down it was. The entire building was empty, the only life forms seemed to be the occasional spider in a corner.

When she rounded a corner, Sakura was met by nothing but white walls and ceilings, doors of varying colors and the dark, blue grayish carpet that prevented any echoing from footsteps. Perhaps, had the floors not been covered by a carpet, she would have found Sasori within moments. Sakura sighed and rounded another corner. Just how far could Sasori have gotten?

"There you are, Miss Haruno."

The deep grumble of a voice made Sakura stop in her tracks and freeze. A heavy pad of footsteps came closer and soon a tall, tanned man with scars slashing over his face, wearing army boots and a large trench coat stood before her. "Let me guess, you got lost?" Relief flooded Sakura now she knew the man understood. She nodded at him and gave a small smile.

"I thought so. That's what they all say." Upon seeing the man's glare and hearing his dark tone, the relief and smile were quickly washed away. "Follow me."

Gulping, Sakura quietly did as told. As it turned out, the detention room wasn't even far away. The door to the left on the end of that hallway. 'Detention', the sign on the door read. Sure enough, Sasori was found on the other side of the door, seated in the far corner in the back of the classroom. It was cool in the room, the sunscreens were rolled down even though Sakura knew for a fact that the sun had become obscured by the clouds a while ago.

"Sit down," the man ordered. Sakura looked around, even though the only occupied seat was the one Sasori sat in and a choice shouldn't have been hard to make. "Today," the man's voice boomed. Near Sasori or far away from him? The man cleared his throat and Sakura decided to sit in a seat next to a window, far away from Sasori. Said guy's stare directed at her was what finally made her decision. "I am Morino Ibiki, and I am in charge of every student who manages to get himself here. And of course, if they get lost I'll be the one to guide them to this room."

That last sentence was meant for Sakura, something that wasn't lost on Sasori. He glanced at Sakura and turned his gaze back to Ibiki while wearing a light smirk. Ibiki took two paper sheets from his desk and lay them on the tables of his two students. When he sat down in his chair at his desk he started speaking. "You will write a 500 word essay explaining what you did wrong and what you are going to do right next time."

Sasori sighed almost inaudibly and muttered something to himself along the lines of 'not very creative'. Sakura on the other hand held up her hand and stared at the tall man.

"What is it, Haruno."

"I don't know what I did wrong," Sakura said. Orochimaru had been unreasonable if you asked her.

"Think hard," Ibiki told her with his gruff voice. "You haven't been sent here for no reason." When Sakura started to talk back he silenced her with his hand in the air. "Get to work, little lady. I don't want to hear anything until you're done writing."

Defeated, Sakura went to start her essay. She wondered if she was supposed to add a title and write in paragraphs. Then again, this wasn't something she'd get graded on, so what would it matter. Glancing sideways, she saw Sasori working busily with a bored face. He put his elbow on the table and rested his head on his hand while lazily peering down at his paper. Shaking her head, Sakura turned to her own sheet. It was still blanc. Twirling her pen between her fingers, Sakura suddenly got an idea. She held the pen to the paper and began the what she hoped to be graceful strokes across the sheet. _'My chemical injustice'_, she wrote down on top of her essay.

Sasori stared at the last sentences that he'd written on his essay.

_'I suppose I should've told her the truth. Then again, did she ever tell me the truth? She lied to me my entire life, so I guess I __should return the favor. Is that so wrong?'_

Not entirely satisfied, Sasori added the necessary evils.

_'I feel at peace now that I've written this. It's better than writing a journal; this will actually be read by someone. I am absolutely positive that my life has changed for the better. _

_Tune in next time, sincerely, Sasori.'_

Sasori walked to Ibiki's desk and handed him the essay. The man eyed the title and sighed. "Until we meet again, Akasuna."

"Undoubtedly," Sasori told him, then walked out the door.

Ibiki held up the essay he'd just been given and glanced it over. "Looking back at life in general—part seven." Ibiki rolled his eyes and huffed. "That kid... I should give him a diary."

About fifteen minutes later Sakura finished her essay as well. With a complaining and hungry stomach, she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

"How long do you need to write an essay about something like this?"

"Not everyone's as skilled as you," Sakura bit back. "Why are you still here anyway?"

Sasori got up from his position against the wall. "I'd like a thanks."

Sakura froze and backed two steps away. "Excuse me?" She steadied her breathing and watched Sasori, who was staring her intently in her eyes. "You've gotten me into detention and you've kept me from eating on time. You're getting no thanks at all." _'Or anything else you might want by saying that',_ Sakura thought.

"Really now?" Sasori resumed walking, expecting Sakura to fall in place beside him. She did, and he continued. "If I hadn't gotten you in a safe zone, who knows what would've happened..."

"I'd already have eaten by now."

"I'm sure you'd have had a wonderful time with Deidara."

"Did you even hear—what?" She turned her head sharply, almost to the point that she thought she had stretched one particular muscle in her neck just a tiny bit too far, and stared at Sasori. What had Deidara to do with anything? Did Sasori think she'd go seek out the blond guy that may or may not do god knew what to her? Or did Deidara tell him he'd go see her after classes had ended? Sakura knew Deidara and Sasori were friends of sorts, so Sasori must have known more about whatever the blond had planned. "Why would you say that?"

She had the feeling that maybe she didn't want to hear the answer to that. Sasori merely raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly want me to spell it out for you?" Sakura thought he'd keep it at that and was about to confirm what she didn't know with certainty herself, but Sasori beat her to it. "Since you'll apparently be gone this night, what makes you think he won't search for you before nightfall?"

They walked outside and headed towards the main building. "I don't know what I thought, just that he'd spare me for today. Give up or something." This evoked a short laugh from Sasori.

"There's no such thing as giving up. Not to mention sparing someone..." Sasori wore a smirk while he stared ahead. "How foolish."

Inside the cafeteria were not half as much people as Sakura had expected. During the lunch breaks the place had been packed, now there were only a few groups left that were still eating, sparsely spread across the cafeteria. Sasori walked to a table near the windows on the east side of the café. At the table, there was just one person sitting and drinking a coke. Sakura thought she remembered the pale guy. Wasn't he the one Temari had falsely accused of throwing away her pen? "Hey Kisame," Sasori greeted and sat down across from him.

"You're late, Sasori. Ibiki been tough on you?" Kisame chuckled and Sasori gave a little smile. Whatever the inside joke was about, Sakura didn't get it. Just then, she felt her stomach complaining about the fact that she still didn't have anything to eat, so she excused herself and went to get some food.

"Please get me something as well, Sakura." Figuring Sasori had gotten her food the day before, Sakura agreed and did what he asked. She returned three minutes later with two plates filled with pasta. She didn't know what Sasori liked, but he'd just have to deal with it. The conversation the two guys were having stilled as Sakura arrived at the table and sat down next to Sasori.

"So you're Sakura, huh? The name's Kisame, nice to meet you." Kisame grinned, revealing sharp teeth, and Sakura nodded at him while forcing herself to look at his eyes. "Had a good first day of school?"

"It was fine," the girl answered, then quickly began eating so that she couldn't speak. Sasori stared distastefully down at his plate but started eating anyway. The pale, blue haired guy sitting across from him chuckled and took a swig from his bottle.

"Well, I hate to tell you, but I'll be taking my leave now, so..." Kisame took his bottle and stood, looking at Sakura and then locking eyes with Sasori. "Arrivederci."

"Oh, Kisame," Sakura suddenly started, having remembered something and blurted out the first thing on her mind. "Weren't you supposed to have detention for two days?" He hadn't been with Ibiki, so how had he gotten away?

"Heh, funny you should mention it," Kisame said, setting his bottle back down. "You know, it helps having friends with influence." A noise to Sakura's right made her turn to look at Sasori who was glaring at Kisame. "But let's not go into detail."

The pale guy chuckled lightly and walked away, leaving Sakura and Sasori alone at the table. They ate in relative silence, until Sakura noticed the bottle Kisame had left standing on the table, apparently forgotten in his haste.

"His coke," Sakura muttered, picking up the bottle and swinging it a little. "It isn't empty yet." Bringing it to her face to peer into the opening, a strong smell hit her nostrils. Immediately, Sakura held the bottle away from her and put it on the table. "Ew! That's not coke!"

Reaching out, Sasori grabbed the bottle and sniffed it. "Sake," he said, putting it down again. The pink haired girl frowned, so he elaborated. "A Japanese drink containing alcohol."

"And not just a little of it," Sakura added. "How could he have gotten it? They don't provide liquor in school, right?"

"Who knows," Sasori told her with an undertone of mischief. Shaking her head and deciding not to dwell on it any further, Sakura continued eating and watched Sasori shove his plate away, unfinished. So he didn't like pasta. Well, too bad for him. Sakura couldn't make herself worry about it. She finished her own meal quickly, finding it kind of awkward to be eating while Sasori just sat there. He didn't speak as Sakura ate, and together with the fact that the cafeteria was gradually getting empty, the pink haired girl got even more uncomfortable.

"So, Sakura. When are you going to your friends?"

Finally, relief of the silence. Even though it was the little demon who had spoken. Sakura looked around the cafeteria in search for a clock, soon found it and determined the time. It was 6:23 pm. She didn't know the exact time she was expected at Temari's, but guessed around eight would be fine. But then, would it be smart to tell Sasori, of all people? "I don't know yet," she answered him instead of the time she had decided on.

"Right," he said to her evading answer. "Then, what are you going to do until you're leaving?"

She was probably going to her room, make some homework and pack her things for the sleepover. But, again, telling Sasori didn't seem like the brightest thing to do. What could she say to throw him off? "I'll be very busy," Sakura said. Not the best answer she ever decided on.

"Is that so? Busy with what?"

"School."

"That can't be much of a problem for you. If you want I can help you."

On the inside, Sakura screamed. This was the one thing she did _not_ want. "Actually, I don't need any help."

Sasori smiled. "Oh, but I insist." He stood, forcing Sakura to stand as well to let him through. Just when she was about to sit down again, she had no intention to have him help her with her homework, Sasori got a hold of her arm and pulled her with him.

"Sasori..." Sakura fell silent, seeing no one left in the cafeteria. Making a scene wouldn't help her at all, so it was probably best to spare her energy. Sasori took her through the long arm of the building where some students were lounging, and up the stairs all the way to the third floor. By now, Sakura cursed herself for having shown him the way to her room.

~*~

* * *

It took a while, but here it is. School has been, well... time consuming. Even though it's not hard at all and I seem to magically ace some classes...  
Oh, 'arrivederci' means 'goodbye' in Italian. Kisame's just mocking Sasori.

Enjoy~


	9. I, 6: Evening falls

I

6, Evening falls

~*~

"...437, 435, 433. There we are." Sasori waited next to her door, expecting Sakura to open it for him. She, however, was not planning on letting him in. "Well, aren't you going to open your door?"

"Not with you standing there."

"Of course." Sasori took a step backwards so that Sakura could open her lock without him invading her personal space.

"That's not what I meant," Sakura said, not moving from her spot. "I'm fine with doing homework on my own." Neither of them moved as they stared each other in the eyes. Sakura knew she had to act quickly. If she relented and opened her door, Sasori would undoubtedly get inside for he was much stronger than she was. Maybe if she knocked on someone's door and asked for help, he would go away and leave her alone.

Tearing her gaze away from Sasori's, Sakura turned around and walked to the nearest door; the one opposite her own, number 421. She knocked on the door and glanced over her shoulder at the redhead who crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. The door opened and Sakura snapped her eyes to the one in the door opening. It didn't take long for her to recognize the girl in front of her; red haired, wearing trendy glasses and looking at her as if she were a maggot that needed to be squashed.

"Who are you?" This was one of the girls Ino had spoken of during the first break. Sakura couldn't remember her name, but she was positive that she was not going to be friends with this girl, who was now looking at Sasori with a look that said 'very interested'. "Hey Sasori," she called out with a sickeningly sweet voice, very different from the tone she had used against Sakura. "Can I do anything for you?"

Sasori only smiled. "I'd like you to close the door."

The red haired girl glanced at Sakura and back to him. "Tch," she stepped back and made to close her door, but not before shooting the pink haired girl a hateful look. "Fine." The door closed with a bang in Sakura's face.

She sighed and turned around. That didn't work as well as she'd hoped. However, as she saw the smug look on Sasori's face, her depleted determination renewed and she walked over to the door next to her own, number 431. "You actually think I'm giving up after one minor setback?" Sakura saw the smirking guy shrug and knocked on the door in front of her.

A girl with brown, messy hair and red lips opened the door and looked down at her. "What do you want?" For some reason, the girl reminded Sakura of Kiba. Maybe they were related.

"Please," she began, "Can you help me with..." She looked to her right, where Sasori was standing.

The taller girl followed her gaze. "No, can't help you." As soon as she'd answered the door was thrown in Sakura's face.

Seeing Sasori's smirk widen, Sakura knocked again, desperate for help. The same girl form before opened. "You again."

"Yes, please, can't you just—"

"Ukon, it's for you!" The brown haired girl walked away and a couple of seconds later a guy came in view. He had a pale skin and white hair, he didn't look all too friendly. "What do you..." he began with an irritated tone, but that changed as soon as he saw Sakura stand before him. "...want. Hey there, I'm Ukon. You are?"

"Sakura, girl next door."

"Next door, huh? Nice. What can I do for you?"

Sakura didn't like the way he looked at her, but figured as long as he was able to help her, it didn't matter. She looked at Sasori. "I was wondering if you could help me with removing him from my door."

Ukon stared at the smaller redhead. "Sorry girl, you're on your own." Unsurprisingly, the door closed a second later. At least it wasn't slammed in her face. Sakura felt improvement.

"Done yet?" Sasori asked innocently. Anger making itself apparent, Sakura snapped a "No" and walked to door number 435 before knocking harshly.

As soon as the door opened, Sakura started speaking. "You _have_ to help me!" Only after she'd spoken she noticed the boy standing before her, probably about two years younger than she was and wearing goggles atop of his head. "Um, if you want to," she added. "You don't have to. I wouldn't want you to get hurt or anything." Very smooth.

"Sure..." the boy responded, glancing in the direction Sakura had previously pointed at when she practically ordered him to help her. His eyes widened as he saw the older boy stand in front of the door of his neighbor's room. "Sorry sis, this is just a little bit out of my league."

"I understand," Sakura told him. The boy wouldn't stand a chance. "I'm Sakura, by the way."

"Konohamaru," the boy said. After a nervous glance at Sasori, he closed his door.

Sakura sighed wearily, but moved on to the door opposite Konohamaru's anyway. She wasn't about to give up. There had to be somebody who was able to help her. She knocked on the door she stood before, dared to glance over her shoulder at Sasori and immediately felt her anger rise when she saw him all out grinning. What was with him? She scowled and faced the door. How dare he make fun of her? Her eyes wandered over to the room number. 419, it read. That sounded vaguely familiar. Did anyone mention it to her? When the door opened, Sakura was prepared to drag the person out if she had to, but then, she stopped herself as she saw just who exactly was standing in front of her.

"Hey sweetie," an all too familiar blond said, smirking down at her. Of course; Deidara and Sasori's place. How convenient, so close to her own room. "I'm glad to see you've decided to come over before your little party, hmm."

Sakura didn't even bother to explain why she'd knocked and moved on to the next door, 417. She stubbornly refused to look at either Deidara or Sasori and missed the silent conversation they shared. The door opened and a guy about her own age, albeit cocky looking, stood before her. Not wasting any more time, Sakura asked if the guy could help her... and noticed the guy wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.

"Hey," she said, thoroughly annoyed by now. "My eyes are _here_." She moved her hand over her chest and to her face.

The guy followed her gaze, met her eyes and grinned. "I know." And he moved his gaze down again. Sakura had to resist slapping him and turned on her heels to make her way to the door on the opposite side of the hallway. She heard a "You fuckers" behind her that was followed by a "Shove it, Zaku" whereafter a door closed loudly, and then the door in front of her opened.

_'And what could be behind door number 437'_, the girl thought, fully expecting yet another useless person. Needless to say, she was surprised to see someone who looked fully capable of helping her out.

The guy standing before her had long white hair that was split in a zigzag pattern on top of his head. Long bangs that were bound framed each side of his face, and on his forehead, between his eyes, were two red dots visible, probably tattooed. His green eyes looked down and met hers in an indifferent kind of way.

"Hey," Sakura began. The guy didn't answer. "Listen, I'm being stalked by, well..." She glanced over at where Sasori stood and then looked at Deidara, who had chosen to lean in his door frame to watch the scene unfold before him. "And I was hoping if you could please, please help me out. I need to get inside my room but he is blocking the way."

The white haired guy stared down at her silently. Then he turned in his doorway and looked inside his room. Glancing past him, Sakura saw two younger kids relaxing in the room; a brown haired girl reading a book and a boy with glasses and a running nose doing homework. The little girl looked up for a second and met the green stare of the tall guy. Startled and alarmed, she quickly closed her book and dragged the boy off his bed. "But my homework," the boy exclaimed, but shut up when he saw the taller guy stare him down and he let the girl drag him outside the room and down the hallway until they were out of sight.

Sakura didn't really know what to think of it. She watched the guy in front of her and saw him gesturing her inside. "Um, I'd really appreciate it if you'd help me restrain him so that I can get inside my room."

"Let's discuss your problem inside." The guy had finally spoken up. From his voice alone Sakura could hear that he was someone used to authority. That, along with the fact that he wanted her inside his room, alone, got her a little scared. She did not want to go inside his room.

"Can't you just, well, I really want to get inside _my own_ room." Hopefully, her emphasizing the 'my own' part got the point across.

Sadly, the guy wasn't having any of it. "Kimimaro," he said.

Blinking, Sakura realized he had introduced himself. "I'm Sakura," she answered his unspoken question.

"Well then, Sakura. It's either you having to deal with the both of them or you having to deal with just me. Your choice."

This was not what she'd placed her bets on. Sakura was getting the feeling that the situation was getting out of hand. Maybe she just had to endure whatever Sasori was planning and get it over with. Spending time with this Kimimaro was a risk she wasn't willing to take, so that option was out of the question. Under the stark gaze of Kimimaro, Sakura hesitantly took a step backwards. "Thanks for listening," she said, and walked to her own door where Sasori was waiting, a grin appearing on his face once again; he knew he had won.

Kimimaro's door shut closed and Sakura's door unlocked. She opened the door and quickly stepped aside as Sasori let himself in, almost pushing her over. She heard Deidara snicker and come closer. Absolutely fantastic. Sighing, Sakura went inside, not bothering to close the door behind her. She figured she was going to be very early at Temari's, but to be honest, she didn't care. All she wanted was to get out of her room as quickly as possible and get to her friend.

She saw Sasori looking around her stuff and chose to ignore him. Right now, she needed a toothbrush, toothpaste, pajamas and a blanket of sorts. Anything that'd keep her warm would suffice. Grabbing a bag, Sakura went into her bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste before stuffing it inside her bag. When she came back into her room, she saw Sasori holding up her pajamas.

"These are cute," he said, raising an eyebrow at Sakura, who blushed and snatched them out of his hands. "Don't touch my things, would you?" She stuffed her pink pajamas with red bears printed on them in her bag, cursing herself for her luck. Her pajamas weren't meant to be seen by random guys and she liked to keep it that way. The only reason why her pajamas were allowed to look like that was because she wore them at night where nobody could see them in the dark. Plus, they were comfortable...

Sakura soon realized her request had fallen on deaf man's ears. Both Deidara and Sasori were looking through her stuff; Sasori having found her underwear—Sakura's fingers itched—and Deidara going through... her diary. Oh, hell no.

Deidara was so busy with reading he noticed the diary was gone only after Sakura had snatched it from his hands. "Hey, I was reading that, hmm."

"You were reading _my diary_," the girl ground out with a low voice. "In other words: _Off limits_."

Deidara just grinned and Sakura's fingers itched again. Before she left, a last thought went through her mind and she reached under her bed to put the black book in her bag. After this, she walked out of her room, once again not bothering with her door, and went on her way to Temari's room. Hopefully the guys wouldn't trash her place.

Sakura walked through the hallways while trying to remember Temari's room number. It was 46-something, she was sure of it. It turned out to be quite the walk; all the way to the other arm of the building. When she was nearing the end of the hallway which turned out to be a dead end, she stopped and looked to her right. Number 463; would that be it?

The sound of footsteps could be heard, causing Sakura to look back in the direction she'd come from. Deidara and Sasori were slowly coming her way. Sakura's eyes widened and she stiffened. What could they want now? Had they realized it was still way too early for the sleepover? She jerked around and hastily knocked on the door, praying it would open quickly. It did, and she was met with the sight of Ino.

"Sakura? What are you..." She caught Sakura's urgent gaze and saw the two guys advancing slowly. All anger immediately forgotten, Ino pulled Sakura inside by the arm. The door closed with a bang and the two girls sighed.

"I'm eager to hear what it is that you've done _now_," Ino said and turned to pack her stuff. I guess we'll leave for Temari's early."

Sakura blinked. This wasn't Temari's room? Seeing Ino, she had thought Ino had had already come over to the other blond; early, just as she was. She leaned against the wall and watched Ino scuffle around.

"Not that I'm complaining," Ino commented, finishing her packing. "Come on."

They walked to the door, the blond girl opened it and went outside, Sakura following after her. As she closed the door, she could see a tall, tanned, dark haired guy standing inside the room, watching her with pale green eyes set in a scrutinizing glare. The door closed, taking away the image of the guy, and Sakura shivered. She did remember his name. Kakuzu.

Sakura turned to face Ino, but instead of the blond girl she saw Sasori and Deidara. In a reflex the pink haired girl hurried to Ino, jumping away from the guys' proximity. Door number 465 seemed to be Temari's room, and it opened to let the two girls in. As Sakura stepped through the threshold she heard Ino's door open. Of course, Kakuzu was part of that gang too; Akatsuki. The girl closed the door behind her, effectively shutting out the sound of soft laughing.

"Welcome!"

Temari's loud shout startled Sakura, but she supposed it was nothing compared to the relief that she wasn't in the presence of those annoying and somewhat frightening guys that had been harassing her all day long. Letting out a relieved sigh, she walked farther into the room, seeing two beds—one of which was already claimed by Ino.

"And goodbye!" Temari pulled Kankuro out of the bathroom, gave him his bag with his stuff and pushed him outside the room.

"Yay," Kankuro muttered, shooting his sister a glare and walking away. It wasn't as if he had nowhere to sleep that night, but he had to go over to Shikamaru's. Now, he really didn't mind Shikamaru at all, but unfortunately the lazy guy had a roommate that scared the hell out of him. _'The religious cult freak, not to mention part of those wannabe gangsters, Akatsuki. Aren't I going to get entertained tonight... Thanks a lot, sis.'_

Oblivious to Kankuro's pain, the three girls who now found themselves alone in his room started to get everything ready for the sleepover. Temari didn't care both Ino and Sakura were early—it meant they could help with the preparations. Not that there was much to prepare; Sakura was going to sleep on the couch, Ino wasn't about to leave the bed she had claimed, Temari would sleep on her own bed and Hinata and Tenten would sleep in either Ino's bed or Temari's. All nice and comfy.

"Here's a blanket." Sakura caught the thing Temari had thrown at her. Damn those stupid guys; she had forgotten to take a blanket with her. Thanking Temari, she draped the blanket over the couch and put her bag on top of it.

"So Sakura," Ino began, dressing into her nightgown. "What did you do to get them to follow you around?"

It didn't take any thinking to know who 'them' were. "A lot of things, apparently," Sakura answered.

"A lot of things," Ino echoed. "Can't you be a little more specific? So you kissed Deidara. That's no reason for them both to stalk you. You know what: Tell me how your day went after Art."

As Temari put on some music and Sakura started to dress into her pink pajama's, Ino lay down on her belly and watched Sakura as if she was going to solve a mystery and the pink haired girl was the key to the answer.

"Do I have to?" Sakura complained as she fitted a top over her head.

"Yes Sakura, you have to," came from the bathroom where Temari was busy. "Believe me, the more you tell us, the more we can help you."

"Fine," the girl relented, plopping down on the couch. "I had detention with Sasori—"

"Sasori? What did you two do?"

"We didn't do anything together, Ino. I don't know what he did to get himself into trouble, but I do know that he was the one that made me have detention with him. You see, he told Orochimaru—"

"That guy made you have detention! Oh, how low... but it doesn't surprise me." Ino nodded at herself and Sakura continued.

"Well, Orochimaru doesn't like me, so he made me have detention because it wouldn't look good on my record."

"Orochimaru doesn't like anybody but his pet snake," Ino said.

"And of course most of the Sound," Temari added. "Remember what I told you in Chemistry?"

"Oh god, you did?" Ino turned her head and watched the other blond come out of the bathroom with a smile. "You don't even know if it's true!"

"Do I?"

Ino stared at Temari, a grin starting to form on her face. "No way."

"Yes way, but I'll tell you all later. When we're all here, okay? Promise. So Sakura, you had detention with Sasori, and then?"

"We ate together in the cafeteria. He doesn't like pasta."

"You got him food? What a grand opportunity! You could've put something in his food to make him ill; then he wouldn't be bothering you for a while."

"You know that's not gonna happen," Temari told Ino, sitting down on the ground, leaning against the couch. "Anyhow, you ate, got to your room, then got here?"

"Something like that," Sakura said. "With one exception, my neighbors suck. No one would help me to get Sasori to leave. Worst of all, Sasori's room—and Deidara's too, since they share—is really close to mine."

"Ouch, sucks to be you."

"Temari!" Ino threw her pillow on the other blond's head. "Try to be a little understanding, will you?"

"Hey, don't take me wrong; I am understanding; but I'm also realistic. It sucks to be Sakura at this moment." The blond with the four pigtails jumped on the couch and ruffled the pink hair of the new student, who mumbled something along the lines of 'why thank you'. "After all," Temari continued, "With two big bad cute guys wanting to jump her at any given moment, anyone would feel uncomfortable." Grinning, she draped an arm around a slightly frustrated Sakura.

"Thanks, Temari. 'Oh Sakura, the more you tell us, the more we'll be able to help out', my ass."

"Don't get mad, Sakura," Temari patted the pink haired girl's shoulder. "Just you wait."

"I'm not mad, it's just... I really do feel uncomfortable around those guys. They freak me out, they annoy me, they... I feel like they're toying around with me, and I feel so helpless."

"You won't be helpless if you decide to officially come to our group." Ino raised one fine eyebrow. "From what you've said thus far, I take it you have made up your mind?"

"I do... I think."

"You think? Do you, or do you not? Wait, let me say this in a simpler manner: Do you believe what I said about the Akatsuki, about your sweet little boys, and will you believe what I have to say about the rest of the school so that you will be able to maneuver safely through the school without getting acquainted with people who are bad for you, or do you not?" Ino took in a deep breath after this sentence, watching Sakura.

"I do believe you," Sakura answered her. "I do." After the fiasco that evening with the redhead and the blond in her room and the way they had acted towards her, she was done with them.

A knock on the door alerted the girls to the arrival of the others. "There you are. We've been waiting for such a long time!"

"Are we that late?"

* * *

Kankuro knocked on the door that led to room 319. After about a minute, the door was opened by Shikamaru who had his hair down for a change. "Take your time," Kankuro remarked dryly. "It's not as if I'm kicked out of my room or anything."

"Funny," Shikamaru said, letting the other guy in. "Get used to it, I'm not in a hurry for anything."

Kankuro went inside with caution, expecting a silver haired male to be lurking around there. However, he found that there was no one else in the room. "You're alone?" he asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah, he went to mister joy. It seems they're having some sort of meeting over there."

"Why's that?" Kankuro dropped his stuff on the couch. Though it turned out there was a bed available, he really didn't want to sleep in the same bed the religious freak slept in. Who knew what kind of fucked up rituals were performed in there...

Shikamaru sighed and lay down on his bed. "Don't know, don't care."

"You know, my sis is having a sleepover in our room right now. You think it's related?"

"The Akatsuki are meeting in Ino's room, huh? We got it bad; me having to put up with Hidan, she with mister joy."

"Yeah, poor you. But for your information, they might be in trouble. The girls are sleeping in the room next door."

"A wall's enough to hold back those freaks, don't worry."

Kankuro sighed just like Shikamaru had, then spread a blanket over the couch before stripping down to his pants and lying down. "Hope you're right."

"I am right."

* * *

"You're officially with us now? That's great!"

Tenten nearly jumped on the couch, landing next to Sakura and embracing her roughly. "Welcome, new member of... Our Group!"

"You know, that sounds kinda lame," Ino commented, rolling onto her back and watching Sakura and Tenten upside down.

"But we don't need a name," Temari said. "Getting a name just for the sake of naming is ridiculous." She sat next to Ino on the bed, already dressed in her nightclothes—a simple, over sized teeshirt.

"That's right," Tented added. "Names are for wimps!"

"But about the Akatsuki," Sakura began, somewhat hesitantly, "What's going to happen from now on?" It couldn't be that both Deidara and Sasori would just quit on her because she had made her decision not to be involved with them. They didn't seem like the kind of people who would care. Of course, it was safety in numbers, so if she chose to stay around Ino or Temari or any of the boys it was less likely that she'd be targeted. Unless those little demons decided to come in greater numbers at her as well... But this wasn't a thought Sakura liked to dwell upon. And then there was the question of whether or not any of the boys of her new group were even _capable_ of protecting her...

"Sakura, you're now one of us, and no one of our group stands alone against those bullies." Hinata had spoken up, smiling gently at the pink haired girl. "We'll find some way to protect you, and if worse comes to worse, you never know where help will come from. There truly isn't anything to fear."

"Remember what I told you today during first break?"

"Ino, how is she supposed to remember _everything_ you say?" Tenten huffed and rolled her eyes. "You talk a lot."

"Hey, I said some very important things today!" The blond girl stuck her tongue out to the brunette and put her pillow under her face for a more comfortable position, then turned towards Sakura. "I told you about some of the important people in this school, _bad_ important people—in other words, people to avoid. Our group may not have people like that, which I consider to be a good thing, but we are not helpless. You saw what Lee did during second break, right?"

"How could anyone have missed that," Temari laughed. "Top notch entertainment."

"Minus the part where I was harassed," Sakura said, noting she was part of that so called entertainment.

"Yeah, minus that," the oldest girl conceded. "Anyway, Shikamaru is the best at getting back at people; he's a genius. Furthermore, my little brother isn't exactly a wimp—"

"What did you expect, with such a tough sister." Tenten smirked as Temari grinned with self confidence.

"Absolutely, and Gaara isn't someone to mess with either."

"Oh yes, I can still see him and Sasuke going at each other..." Ino sighed and smiled. "I don't like fighting, but seeing them do their thing was very much worth it." The girls laughed at the way the blond was acting before Temari gave Ino a push that caused her to fall off the bed.  
"Remember it's my adorable little brother you're talking about; I'll tolerate no talking about him as if he were a piece of meat, got it?"

"Yes ma'am," Ino answered, getting back on the bed, avoiding Temari's hands as the older girl tried to push her off again. "And though I can be thoroughly annoyed by him," the blond continued as she and Temari settled down, "Naruto is a first class trickster."

All right, so the boys could handle themselves, according to the girls. Still, the members of Akatsuki weren't exactly weaklings—in fact, it seemed to be the exact opposite. Deidara could kill with looks alone, making Sakura wonder what he would be like when he actually got into a physical fight. Lee might have gotten in a hit that day, but what about the next time when the taller blond came prepared? If Deidara's little story from Health and Care said anything, it didn't bode well. Hidan was simply scary; from the little interaction she had had with him that day, it was obvious something was wrong with him. Then again, she supposed it was that way with most of the Akatsuki.

"Say," Sakura said, thinking back to the image behind Ino's door as they went to Temari's, "What was that Kakuzu doing in your room, Ino?" The girls were silent as the conversation shifted so suddenly. "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Sakura mentally slapped herself. Way for killing the mood.

"No, it's all right," Ino said. "After all, if you would have listened during second break... Kakuzu is my roommate."

"Leave it to mister joy to lighten up the mood," Tenten chirped, trying to get the atmosphere to lighten up.

"Mister joy?" Sakura asked. "His... nickname?" That was weird. Why would you give someone like that a nickname?

"Uhuh." Tenten stretched on the couch and looked to the ceiling. "What's to become of the world without a little comic relief. Best of all is when word gets out and everyone starts using it!" The brunette lifted Sakura's blanket and got under it too. "My feet are getting cold," she explained. "Kakuzu's nickname is the one I came up with." She actually sounded proud of this fact. "And it's true, isn't it? Have you ever seen him smile? Nope, didn't think so."

Ino couldn't help but chuckle lightly. "I haven't, and I should know."

Now Ino seemed to be a bit more comfortable, the entire mood turned more relaxed. "So, have you invented more nicknames?" Sakura was curious, and also realized that what she was hearing now would probably mean infinite doom for the girls around her if the information ever got out. She could only imagine what Kakuzu would do if he found out that Tenten was the one who dubbed him 'mister joy'. He certainly wouldn't be so joyful about that.

"Absolutely," Temari proclaimed. "And not only with students; the teachers shall suffer too!" The girls erupted in laughing as they began the countdown. "Itachi-I touch you, Gay-dara and Sassy-sori!"

The laughs got louder as Tenten continued. "Mister joy, the Priest, metalhead!"

"Metalhead? Who's that?"

"That's Pain, Sakura. You know, the so called leader of Akatsuki. He has at least ten piercings in his face alone."

"And then there is Kisame the Alcoholic, and Queen B Konan."

"Queen bee Konan? Why do you call her that?" To be honest, Sakura didn't think of Konan as such a mean girl. The blue haired girl seemed very composed; she had her act together, didn't yell or curse. Her overall impression wasn't very warm and nice, but she didn't strike Sakura as someone whom you had to watch out for.

"The B stands for bitch," Ino explained as if it were obvious. She noticed Sakura's expression that seemed doubtful, so she clarified. "Have you met her in real life?" Sakura nodded, urging the blond to continue. "Then you must have met on friendly terms. She's Pain's girlfriend, and as you know, Pain calls himself the leader of Akatsuki."

"Our very own self proclaimed _god_ of this school." When Temari uttered the word 'god', her face scrunched up in distaste. "Really, he is about the most egocentric _being_ in this entire school. It really is sad." Sakura raised an eyebrow, not having noticed this side of the apparently infamous Pain when she spoke with him.

"But about Konan," Ino went on, "As his girlfriend, she's like the leader's sidekick, the leader in the shadows. If she doesn't like someone or wants something done, she'll get it done for her in one of her sneaky ways, by one of her slaves all around the school grounds. She'll make it so that you'll come to her and beg on your knees for forgiveness. When you've sunken that low, the only thing left is just to hope that she'll actually comply."

Sakura only stared at the blond, absolutely speechless. It was as if the subject of the conversation was some ruthless mafia gang. Honestly; they were all just teenagers.

"Unfortunately, she's not to be reasoned with," Tenten said. "When she puts her mind on something, nothing is going to change her mind; not the one who's begging to her, not the one who's trying to stand up for the one she has gotten down on his knees, not any of her enemies, not even those other _oh so tough _members of her little gang and certainly not her _beloved _boyfriend."

"Oh yeah, she's got the power." The girls laughed at the way Temari uttered her sentence and even Sakura managed to crack a smile. She felt confused because she had thought that Konan was the one who seemed the most sane, and yet she was now being told that it was all fake. "Girls," she spoke softly, getting everyone to become silent. "I think I've gotten very wrong impressions of a lot of people today."

After these words, it was silent for a bit as the sentence was digested. "Then, who did you meet? Why do you think you've gotten wrong impressions?" Ino watched Sakura with her big blue eyes. "I mean, just because you thought Konan was... nice, I suppose, that doesn't mean your sense of judgment is to be labeled as pure fail."

"It happens to most everyone," the silent Hinata said. "Konan is incredibly good at deceiving people by the way she acts."

Sakura looked at the ground, feeling very unhappy. If it had only been Konan, it would be okay, because everyone thought Konan was nice... However... "It's not just Konan," the green eyed girl said, finding it very hard to say what she was about to. "...It was Pain as well. During Economy, and... well," she eyed Tenten who sat next to her, "You were silent after I told you, Naruto ignored me. He seemed nice, he walked me to Art." Sakura sighed and looked at the others. "In Art, they... they just talked to me and all. Nothing unusual much."_ Except for a few little awkward moments..._ "Afterwards, you all but Hinata gave me the cold shoulder and left me to fend for myself."

"That's harsh," Tenten commented while staring at the others, being the only with a right to speak since she hadn't been there.

"Oh, come on. I was still mad at you." Ino stared at Sakura, a little frustrated with the accusation.

"Anyway..." Sakura fell silent for a moment, thinking back. "I'm... confused. It's like nothing is as it seems. And with Deidara and Sasori acting the way they do, with one moment being nice and friendly and..." _...sexy..._ "... and the next moment all dark and freaking me out. And Pain honestly didn't seem like such a bad guy, and Hidan is a bit weird and freaky, but he didn't seem so bad... Just enthusiastic and with other interests... a bit morbid... It's all so..."

"Unbelievable?" Ino questioned. When Sakura didn't answer right away, she went on. "I'm sorry, but didn't I ask you whether or not you would believe what I, what we would tell you about them?"

"Yes, I know."

"Exactly, you said 'yes'. You said you would believe what we told you. And now it has come down to it, you won't—"

"It's just... hard. It feels like you're talking about..." Well, best to voice her previous thoughts now. Hopefully they wouldn't take it the wrong way. "It's as if you're talking about some mafia gang, and that's just... surreal. I mean, we're all just teenagers at a boarding school, we're supervised by the teachers and staff and you'd think that the most that could be happening around here would be a particularly serious case of bullying."

"She got a point there." Tenten stretched again, getting more comfortable on the couch. "Even so, even I'll admit that those wannabe gangsters got a pretty bad reputation. And with bad, I don't mean the average 'bad' in which they're just known for bullying. They are, I'm not denying that; but they're more than that. I guess, yeah, like a mafia gang they control the underworld of the school."

"The underworld?" Ino echoed, eyebrow raised. "That sounds ridiculous."

"What comes to mind when you think of the underworld of a city, huh?"

"Um... parties, drugs, alcohol, crime and whatnot."

"Alright," Tenten proclaimed, pointing at Temari. "Remember that time when you got invited for—"

"That rave?" Temari finished innocently. "Oh yeah, I remember. It was so much fun. Especially when I spilled my beer over Tayuya and she went crazy. I laughed at her and when she tried to attack me I punched her in the face. She passed out immediately." The oldest blond chuckled and gave Ino a high five. "So much for the tough girl. She has hated me ever since. Oh, good times, good times..."

Tenten laughed and nodded at Temari. "She got nothing on you." A 'that's right' sounded from the blond girl, and the brunette continued. "About the alcohol; Kisame earned his nickname because of it. If that doesn't say enough, I don't know what does. 'Liquor prohibited' my ass." Tenten turned to Hinata. "And about the drugs... Remember what Neji found in the boys' bathroom one day?"

The timid girl nodded. "It-it was... Well, that powdery substance—"

"Cocaine; and I'll tell you what that is: A drug that makes you go trippin' out of your mind." Tenten stared at Ino. "My point?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, point taken." Ino shook her head tiredly.

Sakura was dumbfounded. Liquor... Kisame... So that was what Sasori had meant with that answer of his... _"Who knows..."_ Well, one thing's for sure: He did. And the drug thing... Sakura couldn't believe it. What kind of school was this? What kind of teachers walked around that didn't know anything of what was going on? One thing was made clear at this point: Shizune's offer to help seemed useful at the time, but really, it was so pointless now. "Girls, could you... could you tell me more about the groups and cliques and gangs and stuff that I need to know of?"

Their advice was of grave importance—if she wanted to survive, that is. It truly turned out to be a very deep and very dangerous pool she was swimming in. Luckily, she wasn't swimming alone anymore.

* * *

_Dear diary,_

_It's been a long evening. In fact, I think it's turned into night by now. So much has happened this day, you can't even begin to imagine. It's why I decided to put in an entry, I suppose it's worth it._

_This school is absolute hell, at least, according to the stories and my personal experiences, though limited as they may be. The teachers are ignorant and the students are divided into all sorts of cliques and gangs. It's important for me to know of them so that I won't get myself into trouble, so I'll just write them down._

_The two most notorious groups: Sound and Akatsuki. Stupid names, I know. Sound is run by Kimimaro, who turns out to be a neighbor of mine. Insert dance of joy here. He's the guy that wanted to invite me in after intimidating his two much younger roommates out, they're freshmen called Udon and Matsuri. Or so I've been told. They seemed scared of the guy. Sasori and Deidara didn't seem intimidated, though. Pompous asses. The Sound has quite a lot of members and they are keen to pick a fight. There are a couple I've already met—also neighbors of mine. Yay. There's this Karin, the one who ogled Sasori and then slammed the door in my face. Zaku is the prick who kept staring at my breasts as I talked to him, and Ukon, who seemed to like me but didn't want to help me when he saw Sasori. I take it this is a sign that some members of Sound are in fact sound in the head—I wouldn't want to fight Sasori. I mean, the food fight was stupid and immature, but that was just a game to them. In a real fight... he'd be merciless. Of course, this could also be my imagination running wild on me._

_Then there's Akatsuki. Now, I really don't know what to think of them. I partially blame yesterday for this, since I've hung around both Deidara and Sasori for the entire day. Not to mention that kiss. Oh yeah, first kiss and all. Deidara. His fault. I blame him. I've blamed him for a lot of things today too. And I've blamed Sasori as well. He made me have detention, you know. It was stupid and pointless, writing an essay about what I've done wrong to deserve detention. It was ridiculous, because I didn't deserve detention at all. I've never had detention! And now, first day of school, and BAM, detention! Well, screw that. Screw the stupid essay, the stupid teachers, the stupid gangs, and most of all, screw Sasori. _

_Okay, don't think anything stupid. Just don't! I didn't mean that like. Ugh. I'm using the word stupid a lot... That's... annoying._

_Okay, Akatsuki. They're like the wannabe gangsters of Hinode. Deidara's with them, Sasori too. Pain is the leader, but apparently he's under control of Konan, his girlfriend. I kind of liked her today, but it turns out she is to be considered as the superbitch of this school. You know, like superwoman is badass and stuff in a world controlled by superheroes—men, Konan is the one controlling the super badass gang Akatsuki, consisting solely of males with the one exception: Her. For some reason, this fact and the knowledge that she can get away with anything is making me happy. To be honest, I don't believe Konan can't be reasoned with. She seemed really thoughtful and... nice. That sounds idiotic, me knows._

_Anyway, Akatsuki has some really creepy members, one of which is Kakuzu, Ino's roommate. I really do feel sorry for her. Kakuzu is tall and tanned and dark haired and creepy. I can't stress that enough. His deep voice makes you want to run away the very moment you hear it. Then there is Hidan. He seemed likable in his own way, but make no mistake; he is sick in his mind. During Art, he painted dead people. And blood, lots of blood. There is this Itachi guy, he seemed, I don't know, aristocratic? Stuck up? Good or negative? Negative, but in a good way. I'm not even making sense to myself anymore. Um... Oh yeah! Kisame, the alcoholic. And that's not my sick mind making things up, no, it seems to be the truth. I'm telling you, I heard it from the girls._

_My group, the happy go luckies. Oh, that sounds so sweet and cute~ No, to be honest, I don't like the nickname the rest of the school gives our group, but at least I now belong to one of the only groups that is peaceful and loving. They're all very nice and friendly, they've helped me out and told me about, well, everything I really needed to know to get through my years at this school without being eaten alive._

_Which reminds me! Room numbers, very important, as today served to show me. Deidara and Sasori almost got me in their evil clutches. Okay, it's not that bad, but I have to admit I felt frightened, if only a little. They are both very good looking. And with that, I mean they are like... ultra handsome. Or something. Just... Why do the bad guys always have to look like angels? Why is that? Oh fate, you are too cruel. Yeah, you laugh at me and my misfortune. You know, I don't know what they could want from me, but I think I can make an educated guess as to their intentions. And, well... I don't know If I'm supposed to be happy about that, or if I should be horrified. Never has anyone shown this kind of interest in me, but now that it's actually happening, I'm at a loss. I don't want to be 'easy'. I don't want to get hurt either. I just want... I don't know what I want, but whatever it is, I want to be happy and enjoy myself. Now, I really shouldn't tell myself that I actually really want a boyfriend so, so bad... Bad- Did I actually write 'bad'? BUT I don't need a boyfriend to be happy and have fun and feel loved._

_But... if I'm going to have a boyfriend or whatever, I wouldn't mind if he looked like Deidara or Sasori... And this, diary, is a secret you ought to keep for yourself. I am so never going to admit it to anyone. Ever._

_Room numbers!_

_Ino (& Kakuzu): **463**, Temari & Kankuro: **465**, Kiba (& Konan+Itachi): **411**, Chouji (& Juugo): **363**, Naruto (& Pain+Sasuke): **313**, Lee & Gaara (& Neji, Hinata's cousin): **347**, Shikamaru (& Hidan): **319**, Tenten & Hinata: **247**_

_Now, the room numbers to AVOID:_

_Karin (& Shino): **421**, Deidara & Sasori: **419**, Tayuya (& Konohamaru): **435**, Kimimaro (& Udon+Matsuri): **437**, Kisame & Suigetsu: **307**_

_Okay, so the names with a line underneath them are the Akatsuki, the ones I should really watch out for. Oh, and notice most of those last room numbers are really close to my own room, 433. I might add more to this list, I guess. Now, is there anything else to say? Oh, yeah: The teacher I utterly despise, Orochimaru, is officially dubbed as Pedomaru. Temari has evidence that he really is a child molester... Once more: This school is fucked up. Really._

_If I'm still alive tomorrow, I'll write. I got a feeling that it's going to be eventful. Don't know if I'm happy about that._

_Sakura, with love_

~*~

* * *

Finally~ Sorry for taking so long to update. I realize that in some parts of the world, it is already next year. Before I forget: Happy New year!

Now, the first day is finally over for Sakura. I've got a lot of ideas about what's going to happen next, so I just have to make sure to get it on paper soon.  
Comments/requests/critiques are very welcome~

Enjoy~


	10. I, 7: What one doesn't know

I

7, What one doesn't know

~*~

_Tuesday, March 17th_

_Dear diary, _

_I'm still alive!_

_So that sentence should tell book parts in itself. Remember what I wrote yesterday? I was right. Today was eventful and I didn't come to like it one bit. Not everything was bad though. I'll just give you a summary of how the day went by. _

_English was boring, but Naruto and Ino were the ones that managed to entertain me anyway. Naruto was psyched about me joining them and apologized for thinking badly about me. Kakashi read in his perverted book while he pretended to study our assignments. You'd think an adult would know how to do subtlety. _

_History was strangely exciting. I think I can get used to Gai prancing around in front of the classroom He has a way of getting everyone to listen. You think he isn't paying attention to anything what's going on around him when he is rambling, but that's what he _wants _you to think. He'll get you when you least expect it, asking you a tricky question about something he just talked about. No matter how effective it is though, it was tiring my mind. _

_After History, my mind wasn't the only thing that was exhausted. Gym was hell. Pure, vivid hell. Minus the flames and scorching heat because it was cold outside. Anko is a slave driver. After yesterday, this was really waking up from a cold shower. She had spared me yesterday because Deidara said _something, _but today I was all on my own against her and she wasn't going easy on me. _

_First break came with such a relief that I didn't even taste my food. It was at that moment that I realized something crucial: Deidara and Sasori hadn't made themselves known to me yet at that point of the day. It was already 10 thirty-something and they had been invisible thus far. The Akatsuki's table was empty, safe for Konan who sat there on her own, all alone. This was disconcerting in itself—who knew where those so called wannabe gangsters had gone off to—but a couple of guys from our group were missing as well: Shikamaru, Lee, Gaara and Kankuro. Ino told me not to worry about it and that it wasn't related at all. Well, trust me when I say that when they came back without Lee and he didn't show up for the rest of First break, I knew it was_ definitely _related. _

* * *

"Of course, I'll see you there!"

A boy clad in green clothes entered the boys' bathroom. His hairdo was neatly styled so that it resembled the way people wore their hair back in the sixties. His reflection was shown in the mirrors and as the boy's eyes met his own gaze, he held his thumb up and smiled."You look fantastic, Lee," he said to himself, before he went down to business.

The door to the boys' bathroom opened and a blond entered. The guy went to stand beside Lee. His eyes locked with the boy's as he looked in the mirror. Though Lee tensed slightly, they both stayed silent as they did their thing. Lee washed his hands when he was done, relieved to get out of the confined space together with _him_. He walked past the long haired blond whose gaze followed him in the mirror. The tension was building up as Lee neared the exit and he sighed a breath of relief when he touched the handle and opened the door. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. The boy took a deep breath. He wasn't a coward, not at all, but he didn't want unnecessary fights. If he had stayed in there only a moment longer, who knows what it could have come to...

Lee turned around and was immediately met with the sensation of being grabbed by the shoulders and slammed into the wall. The back of his head hit the hard surface especially hard and he felt his vision spin for a moment. When he focused again, Lee saw that the one holding him against the wall was none other than the large senior Kisame, who grinned down at him maliciously. "What is this... What is going on?" the boy uttered while looking up from his uncomfortable position.

Kisame chuckled sadistically as he looked down at the green clad boy. "You'll find out soon enough, kid." Someone with silver, slicked back hair went to stand against the wall to Kisame's left and to the senior's right appeared a red haired guy. Both persons didn't look sympathetic at all; one looked extremely amused and the other wore an uncaring look on his face. "You do know who we are, don't you?" the latter asked, though it wasn't clear whether he really cared or not.

Lee nodded, though it hurt his head to do so. "You are Sasori, and the other is Hidan."

"And I am?" Kisame's grip tightened, causing Lee to flinch.

"Kisame. You're Kisame. Would you please let go of me." When Kisame's grip only tightened some more, Lee's hand came up and gripped the taller guy's arms.

Kisame laughed at this. "What are you trying to do, kiddo? Think you can beat my strength?"

"You won't succeed, brat," Sasori cooed. "You've been caught." Kisame laughed again as Lee shot Sasori what could have been a glare and didn't release his hold on the taller guy's arms.

"You will leave me alone." The sentence was spoken with resolution, but neither of the three guys paid it any mind. They didn't believe the freshman could actually do anything to them now that he was in their clutches. They were only partially right about that. Lee suddenly let go of Kisame's arms and jammed his thumbs in the crooks of the taller guy's elbows. Struck by a sudden surge of pain in his arms, Kisame released him and took a few steps backwards. "What the hell?" He didn't seem angry; only amused.

Lee had used this moment to bolt away, slipping past Hidan and running towards the end of the hallway. Once there, he went around the corner, ready to kick the doors open, only to smack into a tall, robust male. The smaller male fell to the floor from the impact, hitting the back of his head against a hard surface again. Dizzy, he got up a bit, took a good look of the male in front of him and knew he had to get away immediately or he would truly be at the Akatsuki's mercy.

Lee managed to get up with a bit of a struggle and tried to slip past the tall guy, but he didn't succeed. Kakuzu took hold of Lee's hair and effortlessly dragged him back to Kisame, Hidan and Sasori. Lee struggled against Kakuzu's firm grip, but it didn't work in the slightest. He felt his hair give away at some parts and cried out, shouting that he be released immediately. It was futile and the boy felt his spirits go down, a feeling even fortified when he saw the door of the boys' bathroom open, only to reveal the person who was currently probably the one who held the most ill intentions.

Deidara stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles, grinning as his eyes locked with Lee's. "Hello, _Lee_." He chuckled as Kakuzu dragged the poor boy forward until he stood in front of the blond. Deidara was taller than Lee, so he now had to look down to keep eye contact. "How are you doing today, hmm?"

"Not all that great, to be honest with you. Your friend is pulling out my hair."

"Oh, I like honesty, alright. Do you think you can manage to stay on this spot while we're having a chat, hmm?" Deidara gave Kakuzu a look after Lee had nodded in confirmation. "Feel better now?"

Lee nodded again, with more ease now that Kakuzu had released his hold and had taken two steps back. The boy brought his hands up and massaged his head where it hurt. "It's fine. What did you want to talk about?"

Deidara grinned. "You've sparked my interest yesterday, hmm. A freshman managing to land a hit on me. That's a first." He chuckled before he closed his eyes and sighed. "Not something I'd forget anytime soon. Not something I'd just allow to happen again." He opened his eyes, sky blue iris looking straight into Lee's dark ones. His grin was gone. "I'm not letting it happen again, hmm."

In a flash, Lee was down on his back lying on the floor, breath knocked out of him. He could barely process he had just been kicked in his gut when he hadn't expected it at all.

"I'll make sure," Deidara continued, walking up to him. "I'll make sure you won't ever get the idea again that you could get away with kicking me."

Before the blond had reached him, Lee rolled on his belly and tried to get up. It hurt when he bent to stand, but he knew that he was lost if he stayed on the ground. At least, when he was standing, they could have a fair fight. Even Deidara wouldn't refuse the chance of beating him fair and square.

"I thought you'd stay where I put you while we conversed, hmm." Unfortunately, it didn't even come to Lee standing up. While he was in the process of getting on his feet, Deidara had reached him and kicked his back, forcing Lee down to ground and onto his back again.

"We aren't having a conversation anymore!" Lee let out a noise of pain as he tried to move.

Deidara stared down at him as he got closer, a smirk adoring his features. "I'm conversing!" He gave Lee's torso a hard kick, the impact causing the smaller boy to roll away and let out a cry.

"No," Lee said, raising himself up a bit on his elbows and looking at the blond. "Let me stand so we can fight!"

"So we can fight?" Deidara repeated. "What a stupid thing to say, hmm. I'm already having fun."

Another kick caused Lee to bump against the wall. With a grunt, the boy managed to get up a bit once more, looking Deidara in the eyes. "This isn't fair!"

A foot stomped down on Lee's throat. "I know, and I'm loving it!"

The boy clad in green, his hair ruffled, his back hurting, lying on the floor underneath the foot of his assaulter, struggled to breathe. His eyes were wide as he just couldn't manage to inhale the oxygen his body so desperately needed. His hands grasped around the ankle near his head, clawing at it in an attempt to get it to move away. His dark irises darted around, seeing Deidara's face contorted in a maniacal laugh, enjoying his suffering thoroughly. Hidan stood close by, grinning down at him when their eyes met. Sasori came to stand next to Hidan when the latter indicated he should come and see this. The redhead's apathetic gaze cut like a knife. It was as if he was watching a snail squirm after salt was poured onto it, studying the poor thing's last moments without really caring. Lee felt like that snail, completely at someone else's mercy. He was already hurt, yet they kept adding salt...

"You should stop if you don't want him to faint on you."

The comment registered vaguely in Lee's mind. Everything was blurry and his throat hurt, but he could breathe again; he could feel the harsh air rasping through his throat and filling up his lungs. Who had made Deidara stop? Lee tried to focus his eyes and looked around. He could see Kakuzu now, with an orange haired guy standing next to him. It was Pain, the leader of Akatsuki, he knew. He appeared only to be watching. The one who had made it possible for him to breathe again, had been... Sasori? Did he care after all?

The redhead's gaze was uncaring as Lee looked up at him with gratitude when he managed to sit up. Sasori switched his gaze to Deidara. "That should be enough. You can continue."

Hidan laughed as he slapped Sasori's back, who looked at him with annoyance before hitting his arm. "You should see the look on his face, thinking you're his savior! Hahaha! Too fucking good!"

Lee blinked, understanding not having dawned upon him yet. He still felt so weak that he didn't think he could stand on his own. Then again, that turned out not to be a problem at all, since Deidara took the liberty of raising him up himself by taking hold of his sore throat and lifting him only to smash him into the wall. Face close to Lee's, Deidara stared dangerously in the boy's eyes.

"Tell me, is protecting your dear, sweet Sakura worth getting beat up over, hmm?"

He had trouble finding his voice, but Lee succeeded in cracking out a response. "I... I promised."

"That's sweet, hmm." Laughing resounded in the hallway, making Lee wonder what was so wrong with keeping a promise. He had told Sakura he would protect her, and he always kept his promises.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep."

The voice came from Sasori, and the words were spoken with such malice that Lee couldn't help but look at him in confusion. Of course he could keep his promises, that's why they were called promises in the first place. You couldn't do anything else but fulfill them to the best of you abilities, always.

Lee met Sasori's eyes and was taken aback by what he saw there. Those hazel orbs were filled with hatred, something Lee had never seen before and it frightened him more than the look in Deidara's cold eyes that promised him so much more pain. But more than the hatred itself... those hazel eyes also held other emotions that were a stark contrast with the apathetic gaze that had met him earlier. Deeper emotions seemed to manifest in Sasori's eyes; anguish and hurt.

In only an instant, Sasori seemed sad.

It was gone so quickly though, that Lee wondered if he had made it up in his mind. Furthermore, a fist in his stomach caused him to double over in pain. He was quickly pushed against the wall again before he was kneed in his guts. Lee didn't even hear his own gasps and moans of pain by the time he was pulled from the wall and thrown on the ground by a punch to his face. The person he assumed was Deidara proceeded with giving him vicious kicks to his back and stomach. He seemed to avoid his head, maybe out of fear for him loosing consciousness, which would make the whole abusing pointless. The boy lying on the ground thought he could make out a: "Can I fucking have some, too? Why should you have all the fun, seriously?" The assault stopped momentarily, and then it continued again, though it lasted shorter this time. After about five kicks, the new person stopped and Lee felt he was being lifted up into an upright position, but he didn't know with certainty, because he felt dizzy.

When his body was still and Lee's head felt a little better, he opened his eyes and saw he was sitting against the wall. Deidara was standing some ways off, talking to Hidan and laughing, pointing at him a couple of times. Kakuzu and Sasori stood against the wall on the other side of the hallway, and Kisame had disappeared out of his line of vision. It hurt to move his neck, it hurt to move anything in general, so Lee just stayed still and watched Pain who stood in front of him.

When Pain saw that he had Lee's attention, he crouched down and took the boy's chin gently in his hands, making sure the beat up kid could look him in the eyes without much of a problem. "Do you know what just happened, Lee?"

Lee sat still, unmoving, not speaking. He only blinked, feeling too tired and too pained to nod.

"You just had an accident."

Blinking, Lee continued listening. An 'accident'. Well, that was one way of saying what had just happened.

"Anyone can see that you've been in a fight. What are you going to say when you are questioned? Will you mention us?"

Lee shook his head frantically when hearing this, no matter how much it hurt to do so.

"You won't say a thing. You won't remember anything because you hit your head."

Hit his head? Lee frowned slightly; he had taken one punch to his head, but that was it. It wasn't anything too serious. Sure, he had a headache, but from the feel of it, he wasn't bleeding.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Lee?"

Lee didn't know what to think of this. Deidara had held a grudge against him because he had kicked him while he was protecting Sakura. Deidara beat him up. Deidara hurt him. Those others had watched. They hadn't done anything to stop it from happening. They were all evil persons, something had to be done about them. He would tell the teachers. Right now, he would just nod and be compliant.

"For your information: You know what will happen if you choose to disobey me, don't you, Lee?"

Lee blinked, then nodded slowly. If he 'disobeyed', every single one of the Akatsuki would be taken care of by the principal. There would be no time for retribution on their part. Everyone would be safe.

"Just to be sure, I'm going to give you a hint. You might want to bite your tongue for a bit." Pain picked up Lee's left hand and held it in his hands. "I hope your voice really is gone by now." Without another warning, the older male pushed Lee's index finger backwards until it lay flat on the back of the boy's hand.

Needless to say, Lee screamed.

"Do you understand now, Lee?" Pain continued the treatment for every other finger on Lee's left hand.

Lee's screaming was muffled by Hidan's hand covering the boy's mouth. "Goddammit, Pain! Why did you have to fucking do that, huh?" The silver haired male shut his eyes closed as he massaged one of his ears with his free hand. "Fuck! What do you mean, volume? We need to get out of here, fast! Don't tell me nobody fucking heard that!"

"I am aware of that," Pain told him, putting Lee's hand down. "We're leaving." He stood and walked away, meeting with Kisame and Itachi on his way out. Kakuzu followed, motioning for Hidan to follow him. Deidara and Sasori remained in the hallway, together with the abused freshman.

Deidara walked over to Lee, crouching down in front of him. "You hit your head, right?" Grinning, he pulled Lee to his feet and to the middle of the hallway. "Stand on your own, and stand still, hmm." The blond released his hold on the boy, taking a step backwards before making a fist and drawing his arm back. "Inning, hmm!" He lashed out and hit Lee in his face. The boy fell to the floor, not standing stable on his feet to begin with.

"We're done here." Deidara turned and walked towards the exit.

Sasori kept standing there for a while longer, waiting until the blond had disappeared. Then, he focused on the boy lying on the ground. At that moment, Lee made the terrible mistake of opening his eyes and meeting the redhead's gaze. "You don't seem unconscious just yet. Seems like you haven't hit your head hard enough." Sasori walked forward until he stood before him, Lee lying at his feet. Cold eyes stared down.

"Stupid boy."

In one swift movement, Sasori brought his right leg back and kicked the boy's head with far too much force than was necessary.

* * *

_Biology went by without much fuss. Sasori didn't even speak to me. During Math I finally found out what happened with Lee, as Shizune went over to Ino and told her Lee was in the nurse's office. Of course Ino immediately told Hinata and me, and Gaara heard who sat behind Hinata and he told Temari who sat to his right. Gaara asked Shizune if he could go visit Lee and he was allowed to, but Temari, Ino, Hinata and me couldn't come because it would be too crowded. Gaara returned sometime later, not saying anything. _

_Chemistry was hell. Not the hell like Gym had been, but more like the hell where some kind of demonic teacher who hears all the things you don't want him to hear makes you want to put your mind on autopilot and flee to the darkest corner of your being and hide. Again, Sasori didn't speak to me... initially, that is. Towards the end of Chemistry, he insisted on telling me how amusing First break had been. He asked me if I had missed him, I told him no and then he told me to guess what he had been up to. I said I really wasn't interested in it, whereafter he told me I should be, for the sake of my friends. After this, of course, I demanded to know what he and his stupid little cronies had done. This was the answer I got: _

"_Oh, so you want to know now? Ungrateful brat. You should've asked when I offered you the information."_

_That arrogant, stuck up prick. First goading me to ask, and when I do, he doesn't answer. _

_Second break came as a relief as well. Not as intense as earlier with First break, but I was glad either way. Temari took me from Chemistry to the Nurse's office, where Shizune greeted us and let us in on the condition that we were to stay calm and wouldn't be too loud. _

_Lee was beat up pretty bad. His fingers... it was awful. His knuckles were all a sick purple-blueish, and he was bruised all over. According to Shizune, he had sprained ribs and he had been lucky none of them had broken. The worst that had happened to him was that concussion of his. What kind of force did you have to use to cause something like that? He hadn't told Shizune what had happened and he wouldn't tell us either, even when we promised not to tell anyone. I supposed that would technically be a lie, since if it was anything remotely serious he'd tell us, of course we'd tell others, if only for the sake of help. I myself had an idea of what had happened and so I asked him. Lee looked at me with those big eyes of his and told me he was sorry, so sorry he couldn't protect me. This made me wonder: Did he mean he couldn't protect me now, or did he mean he hadn't been able to protect me? If so, I hadn't been attacked or anything, so who had he been protecting me against? I asked and he evaded, telling me he was glad I was okay and all. Temari and I left sometime later for the cafeteria, telling Lee to get some rest and to get well soon. _

_You know what I thought, what I'm still thinking? Kankuro said they had left Lee behind when he had to go to the bathroom. Lee told them to go ahead, so they did. After this, the Akatsuki must have gotten him and hurt him like this. Sasori's words make sense if I'm following this train of thought. Deidara must have been resentful, so he got the others of his gang to help him get back at Lee. Yesterday afternoon, he specifically asked for confirmation of Lee's name, as if he wanted to remember it. Why else would the Akatsuki go after Lee? Deidara must have made it so. Konan seemed like someone who wasn't the fighter type. According to Ino, she let others do her fighting. I supposed it made sense she hadn't been there when Lee was attacked. _

_Worst of all, I feel really guilty right now. Analyzing it like this does nothing to make me feel better. Lee had protected me, and now he was paying the price for it. If I hadn't been so hesitant yesterday, if I had told Deidara immediately I didn't want his attention, if I had pushed him away myself... But I hadn't. It had tried, but it hadn't been enough. If only I had been stronger, both mentally and physically. _

_If only. Such wishful thinking. I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. I'm going to find a solution. Well, I'm going to try, and I hope I'll succeed. Let's just keep it at that for now. _

_About the rest of the day; Health and Care was annoying because I was sitting next to Deidara. I considered asking Tsunade to switch Deidara and Ino so that the two Akatsuki could sit together and my friend and I as well—everyone happy. I didn't have the courage to do so, which led to nobody being happy. Hidan was frustrated with Ino, and I was frustrated with Deidara so I ignored him, which caused him to become annoyed with me. He asked me what he had ever done to deserve this kind of treatment from me, and I told him what I had been thinking a large part of the day. "You hurt Lee." I expected him to get angry with me, I expected denial, I expected lies. I did not expect his answer. _

"_Retribution, Sakura, is a wonderful thing. How I wish you would understand, hmm." _

_I was so shocked at his blatant admittance I didn't speak to him for the rest of class. He let me be, thankfully. _

_During Economics I wondered whether or not I should tell Naruto, Hinata and Tenten about my discovery, but Pain was sitting_ right there. _I couldn't possibly start up that conversation at that moment. Moreover, Pain didn't say much, but he did start up a random conversation out of nowhere, like nothing had happened during First break—like I hadn't been able to draw a conclusion. What did he think I was, stupid? Lee might not have told us_

_Of course. They threatened Lee not to tell anyone. That was the reason Pain acted like nothing had happened. His gang didn't have anything to do with Lee's 'accident'. Lee denied the accusations, effectively cutting off every connection with Pain's followers. The teachers, ignorant as they were, would believe Lee. Even if I would accuse Pain, Deidara, Sasori and the other Akatsuki, Lee would tell me I was wrong even though I would be telling the truth, even though it would help him. If the truth of this 'accident' came out, the Akatsuki might possibly be expelled. It was just... Lee had to cooperate, he had to confirm my accusations in order for them to be heard and acted upon. _

_But none of that would happen, because Pain's behavior told me that he had made sure Lee wouldn't tell a thing. How else could he be so relaxed? After Economics, Pain offered to walk me to Art again. Unbelievable. _

_I politely declined and walked with Hinata. Now, there was this little problem when we arrived in the classroom: Hinata walked to her seat, and I... My seat was between Sasori's and Deidara's. Ino shot me a sympathetic look, but I knew I had to deal __with it on my own. The first five minutes of class were awkward. Kurenai explained a few things, Deidara's hand did not venture on my leg and Sasori didn't have to lend a helping hand. We just sat there, Deidara on my left, Sasori on my right, Pain in front of me on Deidara's side, Konan opposite Pain. We were all quiet. We all sat still. There was only one difference_ _between the four of them versus me: They were relaxed, I was tense. _

_When Kurenai allowed us to work on our stuff, I bolted out of my seat and went over to Ino, Temari and Hinata. I hope my flight wasn't too obvious, but I shouldn't hope too much. The rest of class went by rather smoothly, if I must say so myself. My painting progressed, also thanks to the guy that sat at the girls' table. Apparently he's a gifted painter and his name is Sai. His nicknames are annoying though... Calling me 'ugly'. And he calls Ino 'miss Beautiful'. Now, I know Ino is good-looking, but I am not all that bad either! I mean, come on. _

* * *

"Hello, Ibiki."

"Don't call me that, brat."

The dark look the tall man got sent his way, let him know he had hit the bullseye. Not that Ibiki really cared he ticked the boy off with that comment, he just liked the result: Obedience, frustration and the knowledge that the first verbal battle had been won by him, the one in charge—a fact that seemed easily forgotten by the mighty Sasori Akasuna. Ibiki motioned for the boy to sit down in the seat in front of his desk. A hateful glare and ten seconds later, the unwilling student grudgingly sat down. Ibiki took place in his own seat and made himself comfortable, all the while staring the boy up for detention in the eyes.

After a couple of minutes in which not a word was spoken and a warfare of a caliber unseen to the world as of yet was fought as the teacher and student stared each other down, Sasori finally spoke up since he hated to wait, didn't want to willingly waste his time and Ibiki wasn't about to speak up anytime soon. "What's for today, _mister Morino_."

"So you do remember the correct way to speak to me." _'Another victory down,'_ went through Ibiki's head as he saw the boy's glare deepen. He remained silent for a minute longer, knowing how much the red haired boy despised having to wait. Those essays were definitely useful. "Today, we're going to have a polite chat; a chat in which I will be the one asking questions and you will fulfill the role of the one who answers."

Sasori huffed and leaned back in his chair, almost amused. "Really? We'll see about that."

"Yes, we will. I'm even willing to put in a little bargain in order to make things more interesting for you."

The boy raised one eyebrow. "Explain yourself."

"Now, so quick with wanting to switch our roles? Surely you don't suffer from short term memory loss. I will be the one 'asking', to put it politely. And of course we will act civilized and politely, for we are both adults—though young adult might be a more appropriate term for you."

"Your point?"

"Quiet." Ibiki stared the just dubbed young man in front of him down. Sasori met his gaze with confidence, not intimidated at all. "I'm appealing to your sense of maturity in order for you to think about this carefully and make the according decision that will benefit us both." The man stopped there, letting the redhead wait and testing his patience. Sasori didn't say anything and waited for Ibiki to continue. This told the older man that the younger one was indeed willing to cooperate if the deal was really worth it. Once Ibiki was satisfied, he continued speaking. "Answer each one of my questions in full sentences and truthfully. If I feel like you've done this to the best of your abilities, you are free from the detention you would still have to endure for your previous acts of disobedience. It means you're off the hook. Until you get yourself into trouble again, that is."

Sasori looked thoughtful. "Will I also be off the hook for the so called acts of disobedience I may or may not have committed and haven't been punished for yet?"

Ibiki narrowed his eyes and couldn't help but show one of his rare grins. There was more to this sneaky little kid than he was letting on. "Yes."

"Interesting. Definitely worth consideration." Sasori was silent for a moment. "What will happen if I don't meet your expectations?"

"Nothing. Everything will stay as it is now." Ibiki locked eyes with the redhead. "Think about it: You've only got things to gain."

This time, it was Sasori who narrowed his eyes and grinned slightly. Of course there was more to this deal than Ibiki let on. But if there was nothing to loose for him... he might as well give it a try. "All right. Je suis d'accord, imbécile."

"Did you just call me a name in another language?"

"Has the deal already started?" When Ibiki stared at him, Sasori assumed that yes, it had. An easy start, then. "Yes, I called you a name in another language. The language is called French. I had French last period. Just in case you didn't comprehend, I said: I agree, you idiot." Full sentences and truthfully answered. Just like he asked. This was going to be easy. Moreover; because he had already won this deal he couldn't be punished for anything he said that was of offensive nature and he couldn't be more honest about.

"I see. Well answered. How old are you?"

"I am seventeen years old." Sasori felt like he was reciting something, articulating every word just to show Ibiki what an amazingly, stupidly easy thing this was to ask of him.

"What is the birthday of your grandmother?" Random question. Ibiki was well aware of Sasori's background story and few relatives.

Sasori frowned slightly. "October fifteenth." His eyes widened a fraction and he narrowed his eyes at the man in front of him. "Her birthday is on October fifteenth. She will turn 74 this year." Full sentences. Damn. He had almost had him there. The bastard was grinning at him. Sasori really disliked Ibiki. He'd get him someday.

"Is she your only relative?"

"No, she is not my only relative. Her idiotic brother is still alive too. However, his idiocy doesn't compare to hers. I'd rather they were both dead."

"Instead of your parents?"

It became deathly quiet as Sasori stared at the older man with disdain. How dare he. This wasn't relevant at all. Moreover, Sasori didn't feel obliged to tell him in the slightest. It was none of his goddamn business. "If it was up to me, both _she_ and _he_ could undergo the same tragedy my parents had to endure. As can you, now I'm at it. Orochimaru can die as well, Tsunade too, and dear principal Jiraiya, by my own hands if I could make it so. Anko can fall into a ditch and die, and I hope Asuma will grow a tumor in his chest by the time I leave this school. Shizune may trip and gouge her eyes out with a stray pencil, and may Kakashi have a heart attack. Let Gai fall out the window and break his neck. Don't even get me started on the students, because if I would ever be given the choice between saving myself or saving them, I'd let them all rot."

Sasori's eyes were locked with Ibiki's. The older man knew he had crossed a line that by all means he shouldn't have, but he wanted to let Sasori know that the boy had nothing against him, while he had every weapon he could use ready to charge. Sasori had better know that he should never use that hatred of his against his superiors.

"Oh, hear my prayers, _God_." The poisonous look the red haired male sent the other would have terrified anyone. Unfortunately, Ibiki had seen and heard it all.

"What was your first class this morning?"

If it had been possible, Sasori would have ripped the man's tongue out. "My first class is Math. Shizune is the one who teaches Math. She is also my mentor, and I hate her."

"What was your second class today?"

"I had History as my second class. Gai teaches History, he annoys me and I hate him."

"What did you have for lunch during First break?"

"I didn't eat anything during First break."

"Why didn't you eat anything?"

Ah, so it was like that. That was the reason. Outwardly, Sasori's appearance didn't shift or change. "I forgot to get lunch because I hung around with my friends."

"What did you and your friends do during First break?"

It was definitely like that. It was definitely the reason. Well, Ibiki would end up sour in the end. Sasori hated liars, but to be truthful, he felt like the man in front of him didn't deserve the truth. That vile, disgusting piece of filth in front of him deserved nothing less than lies. Just like his grandmother. He had always pretended to be the angelic grandchild. It wouldn't be too hard to keep up the pretense. Sure, he had admitted he hated his grandmother to the bone, but the school had never had any evidence that he had done something bad. The most he did was backtalk to teachers, and apparently that was just so sinful... "We hung around the school grounds, we walked around the lake. We met our Biology teacher on our way, he can vouch for us." _'Take that, filth. Zetsu will side with us.'_

Ibiki looked a bit taken aback. This made Sasori feel better inside. It would seem that the big, bad detention man had already had his prejudices. Well, too bad. "Your stroll around the lake took up the entire First break?" He didn't understand, and Sasori didn't pity him.

"Yes, it took up our entire First break."

"Several people have claimed to see you exit the western school building by the end of First Break. How would you explain this?"

They'd have to find out who those telltales were. "They must have lied. My friends and I aren't very popular." A lie. A big, fat lie. "They are afraid of us and want to see us punished for no reason other than that they can feel more safe." More or less true.

"Do you know what happened to a boy named Lee during First break?"

"I don't know what happened to him." After he left him what must have been a concussion, that is.

"He was assaulted and physically abused. His left fingers were all dislocated, he had sprained ribs and had a concussion."

_'You don't have to tell me that.'_ "That's sad to hear. Are you saying me and my friends were the ones who did it?"

"The staff has reason to believe that yes, you and your friends were the ones who did it."

"I find that very disconcerting. However much I would have liked to kick that Gai-clone senseless, I would certainly never physically abuse someone. I know I can say very mean and harsh things, but I am sane enough to know that violence is never the answer." _'How goody-two-shoes was that? Hah.'_ Admittedly, Sasori was finding it very hard not to smile out of glee. It was so easy to twist the truth.

"Do you swear on your life that you and your friends have nothing to do with today's incident?"

"I swear on my life that we had nothing to do with it."

Ibiki was silent as he watched the boy in front of him who sat there with a placid expression on his face. All anger had disappeared. The man had experienced a lot of different kind of people in his life, including some of the best liars alive. It came with the job of interrogator on one of the country's most dangerous prisons. He had been given many compliments during his career and he liked to think that he could be the world's one and only living lie detector.

This kid was something else. If Ibiki didn't know any better, the kid was telling the truth. But then, he did know better. He had evidence that Akatsuki gang was involved. The problem was, the victim didn't cooperate and now there was supposed to be a teacher who could vouch for the students who were undoubtedly involved.

Ibiki would have liked to apply techniques he used back in his old days, but of course that was prohibited. This was a boarding school, one of the best and most expensive in the country. The people who attended were almost exclusively rich, there were only a couple of students who had managed to enter because of a fund or scholarship. This wasn't some kind of prison, even though there were those who thought of it as such. This was a school, a school with children who thought themselves to be equal to adults, perhaps even better than the average citizen with a low class income. People would have his head if he started acting like he was dealing with criminals.

To cut a long story short, Ibiki didn't have a strong foothold for his arguments. Furthermore, it was about time to end detention hour. It annoyed him to no end, but he was going to have to keep his word.

"You're free to go. Don't let me see you here again."

Sasori stood and walked to the door, grinning as soon as he had turned his back on the older man. When he had closed the door behind him, he couldn't help but feel victorious. As the angelic redhead came outside, he couldn't help but laugh. Such stupidity, such ignorance, such naivety. Ibiki Morino had lost.

Now, to find Zetsu before someone else did...

* * *

_So, the day went by like that. After Art, I didn't have detention—the thought a particular someone else _did_, made me feel good inside—and I enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with 'miss Beautiful', Hinata, Temari and Tenten after we had picked her up from her class. Poor girl, she has Math as her last class of the day. _

_After we had dinner together, we went to visit Lee in his room on the second floor. Gaara opened the door, Lee was asleep. I was surprised at first to see Gaara, but it disappeared soon enough when I realized they shared a room together. There was someone else as well, a guy with long brown hair called Neji who is Hinata's cousin. Um, let's see... Yeah, I wrote it down with the room numbers yesterday. I like Hinata better than her cousin, really. Of course, it is very easy to like Hinata, she doesn't hurt a fly. Neji, however, looks like he could hurt things much bigger than himself. He was lean and taller than me, not very muscled or anything, but his aura just radiated the message: 'Don't mess with me or you're gonna get hurt'. _

_We stayed for maybe half an hour before we left Gaara alone. According to Temari, Lee and Gaara have a history together, with Lee viewing Gaara as a worthy opponent and Gaara seeing Lee as a nuisance that needed to be crushed. For some reason, the word 'crush' in relation to Gaara doesn't make much sense, since I really think Gaara seems like a silent, sad teddy bear or something. I think he likes hugs. _

_I am so glad right now that you can't give me _the look, _sweet, reliable diary of mine. My mind is weird, my thoughts are weirder. I am sad to admit that I myself am just a weird person. Then again, everyone is weird, especially at this school. By the way, Deidara and Sasori didn't wreck my room yesterday. At least, not nearly as much as I had expected them to. One of my panties is missing, god knows where it is right now. One of those guys has used my bed to jump on it or something, the bed was a mess. That was about it. Could have been worse. _

_I finished my homework some time ago. It was kind of easy, so I read in the black book again. About that book, and the story... I am in it. Like, my name and description. Sakura Haruno, a pink haired girl of twelve years old. You think this is a coincidence? Her best friend and worst rival is a blond girl named Ino Yamanaka. This is freaky, seriously. They attend some kind of ninja academy where they are learning to become, well, ninja. But they are called 'shinobi', and female ninja are called 'kunoichi'. So... I haven't read that far yet, but it's strangely compelling. I really want to know what this book is about, what it has in store for this kunoichi in the making named Sakura Haruno, who lives in the Village hidden in the Leaves in the Land of Fire. Honestly, who has come up with that stuff? The author is unknown, so there's no way for me to find out. Unless I'll ask the librarian... Something I definitely _won't _do, since technically I'm not even allowed to read this book. Whose fault was that again? Oh yeah, how could I have forgotten. _

_I wonder for how long Sasori and Deidara will stop bothering me. Could it be that they've just given up on me? I hope so. I don't think I want to be involved with them. 'Don't think'? What kind of weak willed thought is that? I really need to be more resolute. I_ know _I don't want to be involved with them. _

_...It sounds more secure. I wish I'd feel like it as well. _

_Love, Sakura_

_~*~_

_

* * *

_Over a thousand words more than the previous chapter. Oh well. I hope you enjoyed it^^

What one doesn't know... Oh, the Akatsuki aren't sweet at all.

Again, comments/requests/critiques are very welcome~


	11. I, 8: Bloody birthday party

I

8, Bloody birthday party

~*~

21:47

"This is my birthday, goddammit! Get the hell out!"

The voice boomed through the room, even to be heard over the loud music. Several heads turned as the crowded room became silent, safe for the music that was still going on. It became apparent that some new persons had arrived, and the host of the party wasn't having any of it. The room was pretty dark, with only a couple of muted lights lighting the reasonably large space—the staff's personal lounge. The room was considerably soundproof and off limits for students, but it wasn't as if there was anyone guarding it at night.

"Why weren't we invited? There's certainly enough room... We feel left out."

The white haired male who had spoken stood before the taller Kisame, their gazes locked, both trying to stare the other down. The crowd began to divide into two groups: People that began moving to the walls, not wanting to get involved with anything, and people that began moving towards the center of the room, either on the side of the birthday guy or on the side of the new visitor. The tension in the room began to rise as more people gathered, and not in favor of the host.

"First and last warning. Leave."

Nobody moved. Kimimaro, who stood before Kisame, blinked and raised an eyebrow. Right then and there, all hell broke loose.

Many people tried to get away while they could, but many were caught before they had even reached the door. While some were knocked out with the first punch they received and others were nearly trampled by people who either wanted to get out or wanted to get in, there were also those who decided that now they were there anyway, they might as well join the party. The people that had stood in the center of the room had moved to the back, where the fighting was by far the most intense and where the most of the Akatsuki were to be found, along with the most dangerous members of the Sound.

The table with beer and other kinds of liquor was cleared as the white haired Suigetsu was thrown over it, grabbing a bottle in the process and breaking it on Kisame's head. Said guy turned around angrily and punched the gutsy junior in the face. The spilled and broken bottles of liquor were used for all kinds of purposes all around. Sasori had singlehandedly broken two bottles against the edge of a table that still stood on all fours, and with one in each hand he proceeded to use the sharp utensils as dangerous weapons to tear flesh and skin apart. Elsewhere, a table was pulled over to the side in a corner, people hiding behind it and throwing pieces of glass towards anyone unlucky enough to venture too close. Itachi had a knife out of nowhere and slashed around him with precision. Deidara used his agility to beat his opponents, knocking them down as he went, leaving them for his friends to take care of—Kisame all too willingly stomped down on them 'by accident'.

However, no matter how effectively the Akatsuki got rid of their opponents, the Sound were with more, and they retaliated just as ferociously. As it turned out, both gangs ended up in the back of the room, with the host of the party in danger of loosing, along with his friends.

Amidst the chaos, nobody noticed a girl slipping away through the door and disappearing in the darkness of the hallways.

A gunshot resounded through the school's dormitory. The sound was followed by screaming and running. A second gunshot was fired in the hallways, the sound reverberating off the large, glass wall. Most of the people had dispersed by now, disappearing upstairs to their rooms or running outside to hide between the trees. The third gunshot was fired outside, between the great cherry trees. The sound was heard all over the school grounds, finally alerting the teachers that something had gone very wrong.

* * *

_Wednesday, March 18th _

_Dear diary, _

_Okay, I'm gonna make this rushed. Today was chaos; stupid, weird, frustrating and a lot more at the same time. Right now, it's chaos downstairs. I've run to my room, locked the door and now I'm hoping nobody will come here to hurt me—though I'd understand and I feel like I totally deserve it. _

_It all started because of them, though. It is all their fault, and we were standing in our right for wanting payback. Of course, no one could have foreseen that it would end up like _

_Holy hell. I think that was a gunshot. _

* * *

06:49  
Room 347

Lee was asleep on his bed. He had slept for a long time, but his roommates figured it was better that way so they hadn't made an attempt to wake him up yet. Neji had the bed closest to the window, Gaara's bed was situated against the back wall, in the darkest corner of the room. While Neji, with his seventeen years the oldest of the three, sat on his bed reading a book, Gaara sat on his own bed, leaning against the wall and looking at Lee. Then again, even though he was watching Lee sleep, his eyes weren't really focused on the boy lying on the bed in the middle of the room. His thoughts were elsewhere; it was as if the redhead wasn't even present. Neji was used to the boy spacing out so he didn't even notice anymore.

"It's going to happen today."

Neji looked up from his book and directed his gaze to Gaara. Though his name hadn't been spoken, he figured the redhead must have been talking to him, seeing that Lee wouldn't be able to hear it anyway. Always quick to make the connections, the brown haired guy blinked in understanding before returning his attention to the book in his hands.

"What are you going to do?"

Neji gazed at Gaara again out the corner of his eyes. "Am I expected to do anything in particular?"

Gaara stared at him intensely. "You know what is expected of you."

The brown haired guy frowned, resisting the urge to sigh. He had nothing to do with their petty affairs and he wasn't planning on starting on it anytime soon. "Figure it out."

The redhead glared at his roommate, remaining silent, but knowing that this kind of assault would eventually break the Hyuga and get him to listen. Having spent almost two years with the stubborn guy, Gaara knew exactly how to tick him off and how to get to him.

After five minutes, Neji relented. "Fine. God, you're so annoying." He put his book down and faced the redhead. "_What_ do you want me to do. Furthermore, why do you think I would be willing to cooperate with you and your stupid friends?"

"Your niece is one of my stupid friends."

"Don't mention it. Now, answer me."

"You have connections."

"And? So do you, so does everyone else."

"You act like you don't care. If I were anyone else, I would have bought it. The cold Neji Hyuga doesn't care about anyone other than himself." Gaara and Neji glared at each other for a moment before the redhead continued. "But I know better. You do care. Don't lie to me, and don't try to act tough because it won't work. I've been there."

Neji was silent for a minute, watching the sleeping Lee for a bit before giving Gaara his full attention. "Don't act like you know me."

A smile ghosted on Gaara's features, though it was quickly gone. "I'll contact you during First break."

* * *

09:32  
Economics

Asuma sat at his desk, reading his newspaper. It was his first class of the day, so needless to say, he had just woken up. Being a man of little words, he had given his students some minor instructions and told them to get to work if they felt like it. He gave homework for every Friday, so his students had an entire week to get it done. The admittedly lazy teacher didn't really care whether they made it during class or in their own time—as long as they got it done.

When a teacher was as easygoing as Asuma Sarutobi proved to be, the students tended to be relaxed as well. Neji sat in the corner next to the window, having finished his homework for the entire week and gazing outside.

"Anything interesting going on out there?" Kimimaro, who sat next to Neji, had looked at his neighbor and found him staring outside once again. It was something the brown haired guy oftentimes did, and so, if only to kill time, Kimimaro found himself asking this same question nearly every time he'd catch his neighbor spacing out. Then again, it wasn't really called 'spacing out' when said person was always paying attention, even if he wasn't really looking.

"Nah, not really. Yamato is forgetting that patch of grass again."

"The gardener," Kimimaro said to himself, watching Neji as the guy didn't even make a move to acknowledge him. Perhaps, Kimimaro thought to himself, Neji would be the one and only person he'd allow to get away with it.

"Oh, before I forget." Neji turned around in his seat and met Kimimaro's green gaze. "Today, something big will happen. I'll get more information during First break."

"Something big? Whom is it about?" The questions were spoken with a small dose of curiosity, the exact amount Kimimaro allowed to leak into his voice. He was composed; loss of control was unfitting for a leader, even the tiniest mistake couldn't be tolerated.

"The Akatsuki," Neji answered, hearing and seeing that he had caught the gang leader's attention with just those two words.

* * *

10:35  
First break, Cherry field

"So how is Lee doing?" Ino, the one who had spoken, sat beside Sakura and leaned against the tree. Ever so often she looked up to the branches, looking out for intruders that climbed in trees and listened in on them.

"He's fine," Gaara answered. "As fine as his condition allows."

The blond nodded, catching on to the bitter undertone of the redhead's voice and letting out a sigh. "We really are going to get back at them, aren't we? I mean, we should. For Lee."

"Absolutely," Tenten agreed. "Lee never deserved this."

Though everyone seemed to agree, Shikamaru decided to break the magic spell. "Next problem. When are we going to do that, how are we going to do it and how will we prevent anyone from finding out it was us?"

Everyone stayed silent, not having given the plan in the making that much thought yet. Everyone except Gaara, that is. "Temari." The oldest girl raised her eyebrow while watching her younger brother. "You said there was going to be a party tonight. One of them is having his birthday today."

Temari nodded. "Uh huh. Kisame's turning nineteen."

"That's when," Gaara concluded.

"Right," Shikamaru said. "That could work. Now then, what are we—"

"One of us is going. Or more, your choice." They stared at Gaara, who was being uncharacteristically talkative, taking the initiative like that. Unknown to them though, the redhead had spent the entire night coming up with plans for revenge. He knew they couldn't possibly all be executed, but the plan that he had in mind, the one that had remained as the best idea, would be a fantastic one. His sister was the one that had told him about Akatsuki member Kisame's birthday party that evening and he figured a better opportunity in the near future wouldn't come.

"Who will go?" Sakura asked. Gaara just stared at her, not saying anything. For some reason, Sakura could already feel what was coming and she shook her head. "Oh no. No I won't." When the redhead kept staring at her with those intense soft green eyes of his, the girl began feeling really uncomfortable. "No, I won't go."

"You will," Gaara spoke. "And that's final." The tone he used made it impossible to argue with him. Then again, that didn't count for his sister.

"What do you think you're doing, ordering her around like that?" Temari was obviously displeased with her younger brother, and continued with pointing at Kankuro. "That's the kind of behavior I would have expected from Kankuro, insensitive as he is, but not from you."

"Hahah," Kankuro muttered. "I can be sensitive."

"Don't kid yourself, bro," his big sister said before turning her attention back to Gaara. "Why Sakura? Why not me?"

"Sakura is new, they don't know her yet. No one would recognize her, safe for a few. You go with her if you're so concerned. Though, they know you're a troublemaker... It could pose a problem."

Sakura listened and felt her heart sink. Should she mention that she had already met nearly all of the Akatsuki, if not all? "Um, guys... Sorry to disappoint, but there's a reason I don't want to go to them." When everyone's looks were on her, she continued. "I've already met most of them and I really don't want to get hurt."

"You won't get hurt," the redhead deadpanned. "They like you."

The comment hit Sakura like a brick. "What?"

"They like you," Gaara repeated.

"I heard that! Just... why would you think that?"

"Everyone is thinking it," Shikamaru piped in, helpful as ever. "He's just saying it out loud."

Sakura felt like pulling her hair out of frustration. Ino saw and tried to comfort her but it didn't help much. "Why would they like me? And why would it be a reason for me to go? It's the most important reason for me _not_ to go! Who knows what they could do to me!"

"What are you saying?" Kankuro asked, half surprised. "I mean, what are you so afraid of? Haven't you already done all kinds of things with them?

Sakura just stared in disbelief.

The brown haired guy raised an eyebrow. "What? You haven't?"

That was it. The pink haired girl stood up and walked away, having heard enough. Behind her she could hear Temari yell and reprimand her younger brothers, but she didn't bother to try and make sense of it. So that was what they really thought of her. She couldn't believe it.

"Sakura! Sakura, wait up!" Ino ran after her pink haired friend, pulling her around by her arm when she wouldn't stop. When she saw her friend's face, she pulled her into a hug. "Come on, they're guys; they're all stupid."

"So stupid," Sakura said. "As if I... as if..."

"Hush. They don't know a thing."

Sakura took a deep breath and hugged her friend back. "You're right, they don't."

"Exactly." Ino rubbed her friend's back and pulled away. "Don't listen to their dumb assumptions. You're too good for that." Ino's smile made Sakura's mood lighten a bit and she sighed. She was lucky to have met Ino.

"You two. Tell me where Gaara is."

The two girls immediately turned around when they heard the voice speak to them. It was Neji, and trailing behind him was a fearsome white haired guy they both knew as Kimimaro; the zigzag pattern in his hair and the two red dots on his forehead unmistakable. "He's over..." Ino started, but stopped when she saw Gaara walking towards them. "...there."

Kimimaro was slightly surprised when seeing who he was dealing with, though his appearance remained unchanged. "What's all this I heard about?"

"The Akatsuki have a party planned for tonight, it's Kisame's birthday. The whereabouts are still unknown, but we're working on it." He eyed Sakura as he finished his last sentence. Sakura in turn, lightly shook her head at him. She still wasn't agreeing to this... whatever this was. So she had to find out where the party would take place? No way she was willingly going to talk to those guys.

"Why would you be telling me this? Your group has never gotten involved like this before." Kimimaro looked unreadable when he didn't want people to understand what was going through his mind. Right now, slight distrust was apparent on his face.

"They hurt someone of our group. We've all decided that they deserve payback."

"And you're going to let us do the fighting for you."

"In order to prevent our group from becoming suspicious." Gaara's voice didn't contain the slightest bit of guilt. "We are quite the pacifists."

"Unless one of you gets in a fight. Sounds quite biased to me." Gaara didn't answer, he merely stared at the taller guy, unfazed by his words or the influence he held at the school. "Well then, that's fine by me. When will you find out about the whereabouts?"

"As soon as Sakura finds out for us."

"What?" By now, Sakura all out glared at Gaara. "I'm not doing that! You can't make me!"

Gaara stayed silent, looking at Kimimaro. Said guy met his gaze for only a moment before he turned his attention to Sakura, who switched her gaze from Gaara to Kimimaro when she followed the redhead's gaze. The difference between glaring at Gaara and glaring at Kimimaro, was that you _didn't_ glare at Kimimaro. You just didn't. Unless you wanted to get hurt. As such, the glare was quickly wiped off Sakura's face and she swiftly began to feel very, very uncomfortable. Kimimaro was very much aware of the effect his presence had on people that barely even knew him, so he wasted no time in using it to his advantage.

"Sakura." The girl swallowed as he spoke her name with a severe undertone. Kimimaro proceeded with taking two steps towards her, stopping in front of her and looking her in the eyes. "Without your cooperation, the deal is off. If you don't give me the whereabouts of this party, your friend will not be avenged. His suffering will have been in vain."

Underneath the fearful exterior, Sakura was thoughtful. She really, really didn't want to have to talk to those monsters again. But if she didn't... Why couldn't someone else do—no, that was wrong to think. What if someone else got hurt because of her, again?

"I can also put it this way, Sakura. If you don't give me the whereabouts of this party, I will not only not fight for you; I'll also make sure the Akatsuki will get to know about this so called plan." Ino opened her mouth to speak up, not agreeing with this turn of events, but one glance from Kimimaro shut her up. He then focused his gaze on Sakura again, who was rendered speechless as she looked him in the eyes. "I wonder how many of you will get hurt in the near future."

Sakura gulped as she digested this all. With difficulty, she tore her gaze away from the white haired guy and eyed Gaara, trying to accuse him with the look in her eyes alone of what was happening right then and there. He had endangered them all. What if she didn't succeed? Wait, did that mean she had already made her decision?

"Well, Sakura? What will you do?"

"It's fine. I'll do it." The pink haired girl was so glad she didn't stutter. She took a deep breath and continued, looking at a random place on Kimimaro's shirt. "But... what if I don't succeed?"

Kimimaro reached out and lifted Sakura's chin up so that she would look him in the eyes while she spoke to him—the touch sending an electrifying shock through the girl's body and she visibly startled.

"Then don't fail."

* * *

11:05  
Biology

_'Damn this situation, damn Gaara and his stupid ideas, damn that Kimimaro for making me do this. 'Then don't fail'. Oh, no pressure there.'_ Sakura sat in her usual seat in Biology; next to the window in front of Sasori. For the first five minutes she had waited for him to speak up, but she realized he wasn't going to, which meant that she was going to have to start up a conversation herself. She had thought that the redhead would start talking to her when she greeted him after she had come in, but no, apparently she had gotten him in a bad mood.

She didn't want to do this. She did not want to. "Hey... Sasori." The pink haired girl shifted slightly and made furtive eye contact with the guy sitting behind her.

"You already 'hey'-d me."

Sakura blinked as she looked forward again, pretending to listen to Zetsu. What Sasori had said sounded suspiciously alike to: You already hate me. Was he mad at her? Maybe he was still annoyed because of her attitude the previous day. Not that he hadn't deserved it. "Sasori... I'm sorry for yesterday." _'No, I'm not.'_

Sasori remained silent for some time, getting Sakura to think that maybe he hadn't heard it, or he didn't buy it. Either way, she had to try harder. "I shouldn't have talked to you like that... I mean, you haven't done anything to me, and I was just—" She stopped abruptly when Kakuzu glanced sidewards. Once Sakura felt like it was safe enough to continue again—Kakuzu was honestly, really scary—she shoved her chair a little bit backwards as silently as possible and spoke softly. "I was just frustrated because of what happened to Lee and I was wrong to accuse you."

She still didn't receive any kind of response. Becoming a bit agitated, Sakura glanced over her shoulder at the redhead behind her, seeing that he... wasn't even looking at her. Sasori quietly observed Zetsu, making notes and watching the images the beamer showed on the white board.

Sakura was amazed. She was putting up with apologizing to him when she knew she hadn't been the one at fault at all, yet he had the nerve to completely ignore her? The girl took a quick glance of Zetsu, who stood with his back to them, then turned back to Sasori and waved a hand in his line of vision. "Hello?" she spoke in hushed tones. "In case you didn't notice, I just apologized to you—multiple times. And you're ignoring me?"

This got a response. Slowly, Sasori's eyes drifted over to meet her own. After holding her gaze for about three seconds, he returned his attention to Zetsu. That was it.

Sakura had to resist the urge to gawk. She was... and he... Oh, fuck him. Angrily, she whipped around, pulled her chair forward, put her arms on the table and rested her head on them. She was trying her best and it still didn't work. Of course there was always Deidara, but then... it was _Deidara_. Why did she have to resort to him? The blond seemed easier to talk to—when he wasn't trying to harass her—but he also seemed far more volatile. If he ever, _ever_ found out that she had been the one to tell the leader of the gang that opposed his of the location of the party, thus causing a giant fight in which he might possibly get hurt as well... There would be hell for her. He'd make sure to save a little piece of his own hell that night and hand it over to her personally. That's the kind of thing she'd imagine him to do. And she pictured getting a piece of hell handed over to you from Deidara himself wasn't a walk in the park, if Lee was any example.

"Am I having everyone's attention?"

Zetsu's voice broke through Sakura's reverie and caused her to look up to him. As it was; Zetsu was looking straight at her. Immediately she sat up, answering with a: "Yes, sir." When the teacher continued on, Sakura slouched in her seat. _'Why do I even care? Deidara is probably a way better candidate to ask about the party. He is probably going to say that he'll tell me if he can get a... kiss.'_ The girl shuddered, not liking the idea and at the same time feeling herself getting anxious. She hated herself for it.

"I'll be right back, class." With this, Zetsu left the classroom and closed the door behind him.

Sakura blinked. Did she miss something? Well, she shouldn't be surprised, with those stupid fantasies of her... Without being able to help it, the girl let out a heartfelt sigh.

A noise from behind her made her look up and turn around in her seat. The sight that met her made her back up to the window as fast as she could. Sasori was sitting on his table, his right hand on Sakura's desk, trapping her in. His left arm lay on the windowsill behind Sakura's head, and he himself was leaning forward with his face close to hers, smiling while he was at it. Though Sakura was the one sitting in a relatively normal position in her seat, Sasori appeared to be the one who was relaxed, hovering over the girl like that.

"My, you're really trying hard, aren't you." When he saw Sakura only look at him with those big emerald eyes of hers, not making any move to speak, his smile turned into a playful smirk. "You are forgiven." He could see the visible relief on Sakura's face after these words. He would have told her sooner, but Zetsu had made him pay attention during Biology. When he went over to speak with the teacher the previous day, the man had told him he would stick with the story on a couple of conditions, one of which being that Sasori payed attention during his class. But then, the redhead rather liked how it all turned out this way.

"Thank you, Sasori." Sakura noticed Tenten look around Kakuzu and raising an eyebrow at Sasori's position, him hovering over her like that. Tenten didn't know yet about what the pink haired girl was assigned to do, so it was no wonder that she was surprised. Sakura wished she could make things clear to her, but with both Sasori and Kakuzu near her it just wouldn't work.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

_'No, don't ask me that...'_ Sakura cringed as Sasori shifted a bit to look at the brown haired girl. "She's more than fine, tomboy." With the next question he asked, the redhead wondered what kind of reactions he would get. "Wouldn't you say so, Sakura?"

Sakura could see Tenten look at her questioningly. "I... I'm fine, Tenten." This was an answer the girl hadn't expected, and the brunette looked confused. Hadn't Sakura said she didn't like those guys? But now... Tenten shook her head, not understanding.

Sasori saw the girl's reaction, the smirk lingering on his face. _'The tomboy seems surprised. Perhaps Sakura is being sincere.'_ He had suspected some kind of scam and didn't entirely believe the girl's apologies, but if they had been planning anything, the others would certainly be aware of it as well. However, the tomboy seemed genuinely surprised when hearing Sakura's answer, which either meant that they hadn't been planning anything and Sakura was being sincere, or Sakura was acting all on her own and followed her own agenda.

_'And now, the ultimate test.'_ To support his theory... Sasori knew Sakura didn't like the innuendo between them, it made her feel uncomfortable. This meant that if she honestly wanted to make things up to him, she'd ignore her discomfort and wouldn't resist. However, if she wanted to show her little friend that she wasn't infatuated with him, she would pull back or push him away—if she dared.

"Sakura, there's this little something I've been wanting to do for a while now..." _'Let's see how this will turn out...'_

The pink haired girl raised her head, and without any further ado, Sasori leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.

Sakura's first thought: Push him away. She brought her hands up and laid them on Sasori's shoulders, but before she added force to do what she wanted to, a second thought entered her mind that caused her to rest her hands limply on the guy's shoulders while he kissed her. The girl began to kiss him back, willing everything else to the background, making her mind blank and emptying it of thoughts. The thought that caused all this to happen? If she refused him now, not only would he not take her seriously; she would also have to do it again later on with Deidara. Therefore, when Sasori's tongue probed at her lips, she granted him entrance. Despite everything, Sakura felt that she lost herself in his kiss...

Tenten had turned away for only a moment, asking Hinata just what the hell Sakura thought she was doing. Hinata came up blank, so the girl turned around again only to find her friend and one of her worst enemies making out. Astonished and feeling anger boil up at the same time, Tenten stood up and left the classroom while pulling Hinata along with her as she went.

* * *

12:10  
Math

Sakura looked down at her books, pretending to be thinking and making scribbles with her pencil so that it at least looked like she was making assignments. The 'pretending to be thinking' thing wasn't that hard. After all, she actually was thinking, just not about formulas. Unless you meant the formula of love...

Sakura sighed softly, wanting to be able to concentrate on her homework but not finding the resolve to do so. Hinata, who sat next to her, had asked what was going on during Biology. The pink haired girl answered lamely with an: "I don't know." Of course she knew what was going on. Ino was undoubtedly already aware of it, but she didn't turn around to tell Hinata, nor to ask Sakura about her side of the story. It probably had something to do with a certain blond sitting behind her. Said blond was most likely already aware of what had transpired during Biology as well, and was now rubbing her sides in what was probably supposed to be a comforting gesture.

The pink haired girl snapped her eyes open. "What are you doing?" she whispered, wanting to tear his hands off of her but refraining from doing so... Oh, she was so _happy_ right now.

"Comforting you, hmm. Having Sasori do such a nasty thing to you... This way, you'll loose all your new friends."

Deidara didn't seem remorseful at all, and the played sadness in his voice was so fake it wasn't even funny. "You did the exact same thing two days ago." Sakura wanted to add more, but decided it wasn't good to rile him up when she still needed information.

"But I did it while no one was watching, hmm. I had you all to myself."

Sakura glared at the papers in front of her she was supposed to study. _'Oh, sure. Say it out loud like that, and with that mischievous undertone too.'_ She could almost hear all the questions she would be getting from the others. Gaara, who sat next to Deidara, had shifted his glare from the blond to Sakura. This made Sakura feel _really_ good inside as well. Truly, her day couldn't possibly get any better.

"But now, thanks to Sasori's sly antics, your friends won't even talk to you anymore."

Now that she thought about it, Sakura realized that it was true. Neither Ino, Gaara or Temari had spoken a word, and apart from that one question, neither had Hinata. To anyone else, it would seem like they were ignoring her. On second thought, perhaps they were...

Sakura heaved a sigh, causing Deidara to weave a hand through her hair and gently massaging her head. As annoying as the girl thought it to be that the blond just wouldn't stop touching her, she had to admit to herself that as far as helping her relax went, Deidara was doing a pretty good job.

* * *

12:54  
Chemistry

The big difference between Sasori and Deidara was, Sakura decided, that while Deidara could make you feel totally relaxed without much of a problem, with Sasori there was always this _something_ that made you feel on edge. Of course, the fact that Sakura felt on edge at this moment in time, could have more to do with the class she was having and the teacher that stood in front of the room, than the person she was sitting next to.

Pedomaru was walking down the path between the rows of tables. He checked each student's exercise book. When you hadn't finished the exercises until at least number twenty, you were up for detention. The big, huge problem: Sakura had made them until eighteen.

The girl felt herself starting to get more nervous with each step the teacher took her way. Sure, she wasn't the only one not having finished the exercises yet, but that still didn't mean that she enjoyed getting detention. Looking sideways at Sasori, she was surprised to find him watching her as well. She swallowed, looking down at her exercise book, glancing at the teacher and meeting the redhead's gaze again. Sasori understood all too well. There were a couple of options from this point on: He let Sakura copy his answers, something Orochimaru would definitely notice. He let her have detention on her own and let her be, definitely most favorable for him. Last option: Have detention together with her and using this opportunity to piss the teacher he hated so much off.

The last option it was, then. Kisame would have to forgive him for missing out on the preparations for the party.

"Sakura," Sasori spoke loudly, completely ignoring the rule that no one was allowed to speak. "You think there's a camcorder somewhere in this room?"

Sakura watched him incredulously. The look Sasori gave her told her that she had to play along. "I... guess there must be."

"How fast do you think Pedomaru will be able to get it?" The redhead grinned when he saw Orochimaru stiffen.

Sakura caught on to what the guy was talking about. "Pretty fast," she answered. Did she dare to do it? Sakura began to smile. If she was going to have detention anyway; why not take advantage of it? "Seeing that he must be very skilled."

Sasori's grin grew, his teeth showing. Oh, he was very pleased. Orochimaru took threatening steps towards them. "Be fast!" he yelled to the teacher, before grabbing Sakura's arm and pulling her on his lap in one quick motion. Sakura, not having expected this kind of sudden attack, flung her arms around Sasori's neck for support.

"You!" Orochimaru's angered voice reached out to them. He was only _this_ close to snapping.

Sasori stared in the tall man's yellow eyes and smirked, while Sakura looked up to search the redhead's eyes for an answer as to what he was planning. The answer came when Sasori turned his head to catch a glimpse of the girl's eyes, whereafter he leaned down and kissed her for the second time that day.

"Detention! Both of you! The rest of this week!"

* * *

13:31  
Second break, Hallways—western school building

"Hey, Sasori, what was that all about?" Kisame walked over to Sakura and Sasori as soon as they had left the classroom. "Do you realize you'll be missing out on the preparations?"

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, I do. At least... if I'm going to have Detention in the first place." When Kisame lifted an eyebrow and began to grin, Sasori chuckled. "So I'll see you after school."

Sakura shook her head. "So you're not going to Detention?"

Sasori confirmed, then noticed Sakura's face and promptly began laughing. "You look like I'm committing some sort of serious crime."

"And even if he was forced to go to Detention, I'd personally bail him out myself," Kisame added with a grin at Sakura's unbelieving expression. "Because today is a grand day: I am officially nineteen years old, making me almost the oldest member of Akatsuki."

"After Kakuzu," Sasori agreed. "He'll be turning twenty in August."

"But he won't be around here anymore when the time comes. Just like I won't."

"And we're all going to miss you." Both Kisame and Sasori laughed about some inner joke. Sakura listened to them talk when she suddenly remembered something. She went to stand in front of the tall senior and looked him in the eyes. "It's your birthday today? Happy birthday!" She smiled as she shook his hands in congratulations.

Kisame smiled as he shook hands with the pink haired girl. "Thank you very much." When he released her hand and she took a step back, standing next to Sasori again, he seemed to realize something. "Hey, you should miss Detention too and come on over to my place. You can help with the preparations as well."

Inside her mind, Sakura did a happy dance. Bingo! "So you're having a party?"

"Yep, and you're invited."

It took very much of Sakura's willpower not to scream out of joy. She settled with a big smile. "Thank you! I'll be there!" She blinked, remembering she still didn't know where the party was being held. "Um... where?"

Kisame raised his eyebrows, beginning to walk down the hallway, motioning for the other two to follow him. "It's a super secret location; no one must know about it, especially not the teachers—even though some of them are involved." The tall guy's voice became ever quieter. "It's in the Staff's lounging room."

Sakura looked at him in surprise. "But isn't that place locked at night?" She spoke in hushed tones, just like Kisame.

"Not if you have the key." Kisame grinned as Sakura looked like she was about to gasp.

"You have the key," she spoke softly. The senior nodded.

"Say," Sasori whispered. "Why are we talking like this again?"

Kisame promptly burst out in laughter. "Because it is a secret!" The words he yelled made Sasori and Sakura laugh as well. "But seriously; don't tell anyone." Kisame had abruptly stopped laughing and watched Sakura with serious eyes. She nodded at him and he smiled. "I'll take that as a promise. Alright, Pink, I'll see you there!"

* * *

13:59  
Second break, Forest around the lake

There she sat; against a tree, surrounded by greens and browns, the lake practically lying at her feet. The one sitting next to her was Sasori; the one who had asked her to come and spend the rest of the hour with. Sakura had what she wanted: The whereabouts of the party. The only thing she needed to do now, was to inform either Kimimaro or Gaara or Neji.

As such, she had thought her job as mediator was over, but when Sasori had asked her to come with him, she realized it would be very suspicious if she gave him the cold shoulder all of a sudden, after... everything. Sakura felt her face heat up as she remembered that she had already been kissed by Sasori twice. Two times too much, but despite that... No matter how much she knew it was wrong, so very wrong; she had enjoyed it both times.

Sakura looked sideways at the redhead who was leaning against the tree with his eyes shut closed, his facial expression relaxed. Sasori was not as sweet as she had thought when she had just met him and they had taken a walk around the lake. No, he definitely wasn't sweet. If anything, he was dangerous. He hurt Lee.

The thought made Sakura arrive back to earth. She was dealing with someone who was... not nice at all, even though he looked like an angel. Truth be told, she thought Sasori looked beautiful, though that term wasn't usually to be used for a guy. Guys were handsome and tough. Sure, Sasori was tough. The food fight her first day at school had shown her as much. You didn't mess around with him. The people in the rooms surrounding her own had all refused when she had asked for their help to remove Sasori from her doorstep.

But other than that both he and Deidara were acting incessantly annoying at times, they weren't so bad at others. Like right now; Sasori was leaning against the tree, a gentle, soft breeze moving his hair slightly, his eyes were closed, a placid expression, a small smile, resting his hand atop hers... Atop hers. Sakura looked down, moving her hand a bit and feeling Sasori tighten his hold on it. She didn't sigh, but did feel like it. She still didn't know what they wanted from her. The chance that she would even consider becoming the girlfriend of either of them was zip. There was just no way, not after what they had done.

"What are you thinking about? You're so quiet." Sasori glanced at her, small smile still present on his lips.

Sakura didn't know what to answer. "Nothing specific..."

Sasori laughed softly. "Sure. At least give me an indication."

"Okay." It was out before she knew it. Sakura stared into Sasori's hazel brown eyes while thinking of what to say. "You." It was the truth, but she didn't know if it had been the smartest thing to say.

"Aha. So... you know I want to know exactly what you were thinking now, right?"

Sakura couldn't resist smiling when seeing that face of his. He was such a scapegrace. "And you know I'm not gonna tell you, right?"

Sasori chuckled. "Is that so?" He took his hand off Sakura's and placed it around her waist instead, pulling her closer to him. "I severely doubt that."

"Ah, hey! Let me go!" Sakura playfully tugged at his hand, and when that didn't work she started to push him away. Her attempts were futile since Sasori was so much stronger than she was. When she realized the guy wasn't going to let go anyway, the girl relaxed in his hold and leaned her head down, resting against his shoulder. The arm draped around her waist tightened a bit, his fingers trailing patterns on her abdomen. Sakura let him be. As long as he didn't venture where he shouldn't, she didn't mind for now.

As the sun shone down on them and they were both silent as they sat with each other, Sakura thought that perhaps the chance that she ever became the girlfriend of either of them wasn't entirely zip. But she demanded explanations if it ever came that far. Explanations... and apologies. Which didn't mean she forgave them for what they had done. Not at all. It was just... the physical attraction. It was undeniably there.

* * *

14:41  
Health & Care

"Next question: You walk through the hallways of this building and suddenly a girl collapses in front of you. What do you do? Hidan." Tsunade fixed her gaze pointedly on the silver haired male, who finally seemed to have come to his senses and looked serious. After some consideration, he asked whether or not the girl was good looking, which caused the blond woman to sigh out of frustration, whereafter she banged her fist on her desk and demanded to know why that would even matter.

"If she's ugly, I'll let her be. If she's good looking, I'll check for her pulse and if she's not breathing or anything, I'll kiss her and wake her up."

Tsunade growled as her eyes spat fire in Hidan's general direction. "Why would you leave the first girl lying on the ground?"

"Because," Hidan said, glaring back at her, "I'd be doing mankind a favor." Tsunade held her hands up in defeat and leaned back in her chair, muttering she was too old for this shit. "Listen to me, woman! We've just learned this in Biology: Survival of the fittest. If an ugly girl collapses in front of me, than that must be God's will. I'm fucking serious! Obviously, she wasn't made to live long."

"Someone else, please," Tsunade called out.

"But Hidan, if it's a good looking girl collapsing in front of you, isn't that God's will too, hmm?" Deidara raised an eyebrow at the other guy's logic.

"No, Gaydara. If a good looking girl collapses in front of me, then it must have been God's will that I'd see her and save her! You gotta be fucking kidding me, seriously; a chick and a witch are _different_!"

Deidara sighed, but had to admit that there was some sort of truth in Hidan's words. "Fine, I'll give you that, hmm."

"I knew you were fucking sane."

"I suppose that's a compliment coming from you, Priest. And don't fucking call me Gaydara."

Tsunade loudly cleared her throat so that she got everyone's attention on her. "Deidara, tell me what you are supposed to do if _anyone_ would collapse in front of you and you were the only one around. And I don't want bullshit." The blond woman stared dangerously at the blond student who held his hands up.

"Hush, I know what to do, hmm. Check for a pulse, check for signs of breathing. If neither is found, apply mouth to mouth, hmm."

"Finally someone who does get it." The teacher stood and walked towards the door. "I'll be back in a moment, when we're going to test your practical skills."

As soon as she had left, Hidan burst out in laughter. "Fucking hell, we've got to kiss a doll!"

"I heard, hmm." Deidara held a hand to his mouth, finding the very idea repulsing. In the seat next to him, Sakura saw and shook her head lightly. "That's not what she said at all."

"It's what it comes down to, pink!" Hidan looked at her with narrowed eyes. "Honestly, it would be much more motivating if we got to practice on, say, you." His mouth stretched out into a grin and he chuckled deviously as Sakura revolted, bolting against the back of her chair, staring wide eyed at the guy sitting next to Ino, who pointedly ignored everything she did not wish to hear.

"Now, Hidan," Deidara began, smiling. "You can't have everything. Besides," he pulled Sakura to him with chair and all, "She's my partner. I won't let her, hmm."

"Wow, thanks," Sakura muttered as she righted herself. Another big difference between Deidara and Sasori: Deidara came dangerously close to being rude.

The blond turned his head to watch her and smiled. "I'll take care of you, hmm. Don't worry about a thing."

The thing was, he knew exactly what kind of things to say that made it all right again. And that smile... could be contagious. He looked good when he smiled. With a shock the realization dawned on Sakura that she was searching out the good points in both Sasori and the blond sitting next to her. What was wrong with her? Was she warming up to them?

At that moment, Tsunade entered the classroom again, without practice doll. With a sigh, she sat down in her chair and turned to her class. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but the practice doll is not up for usage." Hidan cheered and was shut up by the teacher five seconds later. "So we'll just have to use the alternate way of practicing. You and your partner will—"

"Yes! Hell fucking yeah!" Hidan jumped up and pumped a fist in the air, before rapidly sitting down again to avoid Tsunade coming over to him.

The blond teacher sighed, deciding to make the troublesome student go first. "Hidan, you and Ino will be the first pair to perform CPR." She motioned to the floor. "Make yourself comfortable. Decide for yourselves who will be who."

Hidan wasted no time getting up and pointing to the floor while looking at Ino who groaned out of frustration. "Down, woman!"

"I can't believe this," Ino muttered as she stood up and lay down on the floor. She sent Hidan one last vicious glare before she lay completely still and shut her eyes closed, Hidan closing in on her.

One minute, a scream and a slap later, Hidan and Ino sat back in their seats, the silver haired guy sporting a red cheek.

"Hidan, that wasn't very... professional. Deidara and Sakura, you're up next."

Deidara stood, holding his hand out for Sakura to take. She did take his hand, with one eyebrow raised questioningly, and let him guide her to the place where Ino had lain down. "You'll lie down, hmm?" Sakura sighed and nodded, not seeing the harm and hoping that Deidara—unlike Hidan—_would_ stay professional.

When Sakura lay down on her back, she closed her eyes and immediately wondered whether she should open them again so that she wouldn't be surprised when she suddenly felt a pair of lips on her own. Just when she was about to open her eyes again, she felt a hand picking up her wrist and checking for her pulse. When she felt her wrist being released and she knew what was coming next, she figured that it didn't even matter whether or not she opened her eyes. A couple of seconds later her lips were opened gently and she felt a warm mouth covering her own. To her genuine surprise—she had hoped he would but hadn't really expected it—Deidara only did what he was supposed to; filling her lungs with his own breath and proceeding with giving the heart massage. After he had covered her mouth another time and checked her pulse, Deidara commented dryly that she was alive.

"Well done, Deidara, Sakura." The two stood and went to their seats while Tsunade watched Hidan accusingly. "_Look_. That's the way it is done." Said guy laughed sheepishly, waving the comment off.

Sitting back in her seat, Sakura eyed her partner while he shook his head at his fellow Akatsuki member. Heaving a content sigh, the pink haired girl decided that she had to adjust her opinion about Deidara. He could really be a gentleman when he wanted to. He could've acted as immature as Hidan, but he didn't. The blond caught her gaze and stared with his sky blue eyes into hers. "Something wrong, hmm?" he whispered.

"No, nothing's wrong," she answered him softly. He grinned slightly in return, holding her gaze. Sakura allowed herself to smile a bit as well. It was then that she caught herself thinking that maybe not all the Akatsuki were so bad as everyone thought.

That furtive thought made her want to slap herself not long after it had intruded into her mind. She remembered what Shizune had said about Deidara, what Ino had said about him, and most and foremost; she remembered his own words that must have shown his true nature.

_Retribution, Sakura, is a wonderful thing. How I wish you would understand, hmm._

The true nature of the beast. Bad fish, Ino had said.

_You also have those that look pretty and entice you, but they're really dangerous._

And then there were the Math teacher's words. She had said it unashamedly.

_And Deidara is the embodiment of trouble, if you don't mind me saying._

Moreover, Shizune had been the one that had informed her of the fact that Deidara was a womanizer.

_He's quite the Casanova._

He was playing around with her feelings. He knew what he was doing. He knew he was handsome, he knew the effect he had on others. Ino's words added up too. Look pretty and entice you... He was manipulative, and not in a good way.

Deidara had watched Tsunade for a little while and now turned his attention back to Sakura, that smile returning to his face. It was only now that the pink haired girl knew that she had been staring at him all this time. What must he be thinking of her? Stupidly naive and in love with him? She felt heat rush to her face. No, it wasn't true. Whatever thoughts she had had before, they were gone now. All gone. Great, and now he thought she was blushing—which she _so_ wasn't. He was manipulative and cruel and knew that he could get away with it. He was the worst. And she, she did not like him at all.

"You're blushing, hmm." His voice was nearly a purr, and the tone he used only added to his seductiveness. He reached out and touched her face, which only got redder as he did so. And that smile... That stupid, annoying, contagious smile.

It suited him so well.

The thought that went through her head and what Sakura resented most of all, was that if Deidara had been acting so stupid and reckless as Hidan, kissing her instead of doing what he was ought to do... She probably wouldn't have resisted him.

_You're new in this ocean, so you might not know where to go at first. But I suggest you move quickly, before something gets to you._

Sakura gave Deidara a shaky smile. Ino had come with wise words the first day of school, but her first day of school had been her second day here. Apparently, that whole first day had been enough for predators to sink their sweet claws deep into her, securing her in place.

_You wouldn't be the first._

* * *

17:17  
Room 307

There she was; sitting on the bed, staring out the window where she could see the entrance of the school grounds some ways off. The bed she was sitting on was Kisame's, the room she was finding herself in was the one the senior shared with Suigetsu, member of the Sound. Deidara was lying on Suigetsu's bed while its owner had disappeared to who knew where; no one really cared where the white haired guy was—they were just glad he wasn't there to annoy them. Sasori was sitting on one of the two chairs standing near Kisame's desk, the blue haired guy sitting on the other. They were sorting through CDs, deciding which ones were going to be played during the party. Deidara seemed to be dozing off, having his eyes closed and occasionally shifting into another position.

Sakura, she was just sitting there on the bed, ever so often glancing at the guys before returning her gaze outside. Sasori and Kisame were talking calmly, discussing which music to use and lightly arguing about it. Their voices were the only ones that provided the background noise, Deidara being quiet and the pink haired girl not talking either. The sun shone on her face through the window, giving off warmth and a soft light that illuminated most of the world outside. Sakura found the mood to be quite relaxed and with nobody talking to her, it provided the perfect moment to sit back and let her mind wander.

She had relayed the message to Gaara during Economy via a note that was being passed down to the back of the classroom where the redhead sat. With this, she had succeeded her little mission. She had worried a bit about Pain, but he hadn't seemed to have noticed at all so there really was no reason to panic. And now, now she had to spend the rest of the day together with the wannabe gangsters in order to stay credible.

Sakura glanced at Sasori and Kisame who were still conversing calmly. Ever since she had come with them to this room, neither of the guys had even tried to make a move towards her. Was it because of Kisame? But why would he be the one to make them stop? Maybe Kisame didn't like his friends smooching in his room and it was an unspoken rule that no such things were to happen. If so, did the Akatsuki have some decency after all? Had her thoughts about Deidara been wrong? Had he been sincere with her?

Deidara rolled over, stretched a bit, opened his eyes, saw Sakura and smiled sleepily. "Still here, huh."

The pink haired girl rolled her eyes. "Of course. You thought I'd run away?"

"Honest?" Sakura nodded at him. "Yeah, I thought you would, hmm. You haven't even tried once while I was asleep?"

Sakura laughed a bit. "You act like you're a guard who fell asleep on duty. In case you hadn't noticed; Sasori and Kisame didn't fall asleep. I'm sure that if I had wanted to walk out on you, they'd have gotten me quickly." Only after she had said it, the girl realized how it had come out.

"So that's the real reason, hmm." Deidara shook his head and laughed lightly.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Sakura shook her head, making herself sit straight. "What I wanted to say, is that the thought of going away hadn't even crossed my mind, despite the fact that if I would have wanted to I'd have been prevented to do so anyway." She sighed deeply. "Get it now?"

When she met his eyes, the blond only smiled. "Sure thing, hmm." After this, he rolled on his back and put his hands behind his head while closing his eyes again to enjoy some more rest. Sakura stared at him a little longer before glancing at the other two guys sitting at the desk, noticing them having turned around, eying her, and quickly moved her gaze outside. She could do without getting their attention on her every time she spoke.

"Right," Kisame ended the short silence. He stood up, straightened himself and announced that he was going to take his leave. "I'll be back soon—with one very specific key." The tall guy laughed shortly. "Will you manage to keep my place the way it is now?" Sasori smirked and nodded him, whereafter the tall senior bade his goodbye for now and left the room.

A minute after Kisame had left, Sakura felt the mattress she sat upon shift, indicating that someone else had joined her on the bed. She was still looking out the window though, so she didn't see who it was. Then again, that mystery was solved faster than she could even think about it. The person had taken his seat on her left and when Sakura shifted her head slightly so she could see the desk with its now empty chairs, she didn't even need to see who it was that was sitting next to her.

The person the pink haired girl knew to be Sasori lightly raked his hands through her hair and then trailed them down so that they rested on her arms and he could pull her down to the bed with him. At first Sakura didn't resist and made no move to prevent him from doing what he did. As such, it was only when she was lying next to him, with the redhead having encircled his arms around her upper body, holding her close to him with her back pressed against his chest, that the realization dawned on the girl about the opportunity she was presented with at that very moment: She was alone in a room no one would dare venture, together with both Deidara and Sasori. She could finally confront the both of them with everything that had happened the past couple of days without anyone interrupting and no one to keep them from being themselves. She wanted answers and she was going to get them. The only thing she could possibly have to worry about was that little notion of rape, but they wouldn't do that, now would they? They could be decent, so she would just have to hope that they would keep up that behavior—

One of Sasori's hands ventured to a place that made Sakura feel very uncomfortable. As inconspicuously as possible, the girl brought one of her own hands up and dragged the intruding hand off her breast. All right, so she really shouldn't expect too much of their decency.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Sakura turned in Sasori's grip so that she was facing him, meeting his gaze. His hazel brown eyes stared into her emerald green orbs, the way he was watching her making the girl hesitate. It didn't take long for her to recapture her courage and open her mouth to speak.

"Sasori..." Her voice came out in a hushed whisper. She didn't know where it came from, but found she had trouble getting herself to speak louder. Now, what was she about to say again? "I... want to talk."

She stayed very still, anticipating the redhead's reaction. While his eyes remained unchanged, the corners of his mouth curled up in a slight smirk and he gave a curt nod. Taking this as her cue, Sakura sat up, feeling Sasori's arms loosen and relinquish hold of her. She leaned her back against the wall next to the windowsill and watched the redhead sit up as well. He went to lean against the headboard of the bed, propping the pillow up behind his back. On the other bed, Deidara lay with his head turned, looking at the other two occupants of the room. With both the guys' eyes on her, the pink haired girl felt like the moment of truth had arrived.

Sakura swallowed, anxiety threatening to take over, but she managed to push the unwanted feeling away so she could concentrate on the words she wanted to say and the reactions she was going to get. She stared both Sasori and Deidara in the eyes before she started to talk. "I want to know a couple of things... and I want the truth." Not that she would know if they chose to lie to her, but that was a thought she'd rather not think about. "I want to know... I don't, I can't figure you out. Your motives, what you want, why you act like you do around me." Sakura inhaled a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "And I don't want lies." She locked eyes with Sasori. "I want you to be honest with me." Deidara's sky blue eye met her green ones. "Both of you."

The blond lying in the other bed sighed and held his hands up. "Yeah, yeah, honesty guaranteed, hmm."

Sakura frowned but didn't comment on his words. She was trying to be serious here. "Okay then. How do you really feel about me?" When she looked at Sasori, she saw he had his eyes closed and held his fingertips against each other in his lap, looking quite peaceful. Deidara met her eyes immediately when she looked over to him. Something in his gaze captivated her, preventing her from looking away. "Remember what I told you, Sakura? I like you. Is that such a crime, hmm?"

Sakura opened her mouth to retort but found that no words came out. Instead, she pressed her lips together and tore her gaze away from the blond to look at Sasori, who was watching her. "I like you too; you interest me. Are you not okay with that? Because today, it seemed like you were."

The pink haired girl shook her head lightly, not liking the way his words sounded. Almost like accusations. But she wasn't feeling guilty, no, not at all. She had to get them to trust her, so she simply had no choice but to comply with whatever he wanted. Besides, she hadn't done anything... inappropriate. Right, now she was lying to herself. "I was, I am... I—" Sakura stopped right there, taking a deep breath and collecting herself. Why was _she_ chosen to do this? "I'm just confused and... I want to know... what it is that you want from me." Fair enough.

Sasori seemed to ponder this, thinking about how to formulate his answer. Deidara however, wasted no time in sitting up—inadvertently ending with stretching his muscles and letting out a yawn—and answering her. "Generally," he began, studying her appearance, "What does a guy want when he's interested in a girl, hmm?" Sakura was quiet and stared at him. "You fill that in yourself, hmm. I have a question for you too, now that we're at it. And don't you dare lie to me."

Sakura blinked at this sudden turn of events. He wanted to question her and half accused her of being dishonest? She fiddled around with the blanket she was sitting on, trying to get rid of her nerves in a way that didn't involve showing it on her face or stuttering. "Um... sure. Ask ahead."

"What do you think of us, Sakura?"

The girl's eyes widened and she gripped the blanket tightly. Deidara seemed genuinely curious. If for some reason he had found out about her little mission that day and he wanted to question her sincerity with them, he hid his intentions better than she ever could.

"Actually, that's a really good question." Sasori sat a little straighter as he moved his appreciative gaze from the blond to Sakura. He, too, seemed to hold no ill intentions.

Faced with the two guys who were waiting for her answer, Sakura averted her gaze from their expectant eyes. What was she supposed to do now? Be honest, truly honest? She couldn't possibly do that for she'd betray her friends and give herself away. She couldn't get rid of a nasty image that she'd be eaten alive if she made one misstep.

The girl took in a deep breath and started talking while eying her fingers that were playing with the blanket. "I don't really know what to think about you... because you're so nice to me one moment and the next you're being so mean. And everything I've heard about you isn't helping either." She was still avoiding their stares and kept looking down. They wanted the truth? She really hoped she wasn't crossing some sort of line with what she was about to say. "To tell you the truth..." Sakura swallowed. She was _so_ going to get into trouble for this. Not only with the guys who strained to listen to her every word, or with her friends if this information ever got out—and knowing those two who were sitting near her that very moment, they'd make sure of it—but with herself as well. She feared for her sanity. "I am attracted to you." By now, she just _knew_ she was blushing. She had to be, by the feel of it. "And that scares me. You scare me." It was at that moment that she didn't feel like talking anymore. She lost her voice anyway, even though she had been speaking so softly; even if she would have wanted to say more, she couldn't.

The following moment it was very quiet. Sakura refused to look up, Sasori sat still and Deidara didn't move.

The first one to do something was Deidara, who stood up and walked over to the bed Sakura and Sasori sat on. He climbed on and sat down on Sakura's side, putting an arm around her shoulders and lightly pulling her towards him. He didn't have to try hard; the girl was compliant and the tiniest of force caused her to lean on him, her eyes still downcast. "Not so depressed, hmm. It's all right. Everything is fine." The blond rubbed Sakura's arm to reassure her.

Little did he know, but Sakura was thinking the exact opposite of what he said: All had gone wrong, everything was bad and not going according to plan. Not that there was a plan to speak of. It was more like there had been some unspoken guidelines she'd have to stick to—which it turned out she didn't. She broke with the guidelines and now, now there was every reason to be depressed. The only good thing was that both Deidara and Sasori appeared to believe in her sincerity. And she was being sincere, there was no denying that, but Sakura would have felt a lot better if she had been able to bluff her way out of the situation without meaning what she had to say.

Sasori put his pillow against the wall on Sakura's left and moved to sit beside her. Not a moment worth of hesitation crossed his features as he picked her left hand up, gave it a kiss and laid it down in his lap after interlacing his fingers with hers—as if it were the most normal thing to do when said girl already had someone else's arm embracing her. Then again, either Deidara didn't seem to mind or he had decided to let it slide for now, since he had seen the delicate action and didn't say or do anything about it.

A couple of minutes passed like this. After imagining all possible reactions that could have followed her confession, Sakura felt mentally exhausted. Therefore, she simply went with whatever the guys were doing, which was nothing much at all. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, the girl had to admit that she hadn't expected the two gang members to act so docile and calm and so... not evil. At the very least she had expected them to take advantage of her little moment of weakness and she had worried that she'd have to put up with whatever nasty thing they'd force her to do. That it didn't come to her worst fantasies came as a relief to her, but at the same time... it was really bad. It was bad because with them acting like this towards her, she felt her resolve to make them pay for what they had done to Lee dissolve into thin air. It evaporated slowly; a little bit with each passing minute, with each following moment she spent in their vicinity while they were acting like, well, human beings who actually cared about others.

These changing feelings were bad for her conscience. Really bad—they were not acting like their usual selves. They couldn't be acting like themselves.

Sakura felt the blond guy's arm leave her side, whereafter his hand trailed up to her head where he stroked her hair.

Deidara was a womanizer, he was manipulating her feelings. He knew what to do to make her feel good—not that she was feeling good; she was feeling frustrated and confused and it was annoying her—and he made good use of it. Sasori was no better. She didn't know for sure, but he seemed like someone who always got what he wanted. He'd take care of it some way or another. It was like no one decided something for him without his approval; he was the one in control of everything around him, he was the one pulling the strings.

As Sakura's hand was gently massaged by Sasori's nimble appendages, she wondered whether or not he was a womanizer as well.

"Tell me what it is you're thinking about, Sakura."

The girl's train of thought quickly stopped when the redhead's voice cut through the what she assumed to be a relaxed silence. Sakura let out a breath, a quick shiver following after, which caused her to inwardly reprimand herself. She had to keep her stuff together. Figuring she had to answer him since she couldn't exactly ignore them and run away, she thought she might as well ask the question that had been on her mind. Perhaps they'd even answer her honestly.

"Are you womanizers?"

Her voice hadn't been loud but the two guys had heard her clearly. Deidara began chuckling and shook his head as if the assumption in itself was ridiculous. "Who told you that, hmm?" Sakura only had to take one look at his face to decide she wasn't going to tell him. She turned her head to face Sasori who was watching her with a small smile on his face. Sakura swallowed upon seeing the look in his smoldering eyes and tore her gaze away quickly before she felt him lift her left arm and pull himself flush against her side.

"It was Shizune, wasn't it."

Sakura's eyes widened instantly when hearing this sentence. How did he know? It wasn't possible.

"You think?" Deidara chuckled again, looking over the pink haired girl's head to see Sasori. "Typically her to spread such _dubious_ rumors, hmm." Both guys laughed at this, seeming to share some sort of insider's joke.

Sakura became agitated, not finding anything to be funny at that point. Sasori and Deidara were pressed against her sides, laughing at something she didn't understand and failing to answer her question. Gathering her wits, she spoke up, trying to get their attention. "Are you saying you're not womanizers?"

It didn't work. Not appearing to have heard her, Deidara and Sasori continued with their stupid conversation about Shizune's idiocy. Sakura, scowling when the guys started laughing once again, felt her control slip.

"She really thinks she can _make_ us—"

"Shut up!" Sakura squeezed herself out from between them and turned around to face the two guys with an angry expression. "I'm being serious. Are you or are you not womanizers?"

Sasori and Deidara stared at her, visibly surprised at her little outburst.

"I just... I need to know." The pink haired girl's anger dissipated some as the two in front of her remained silent. Had they really expected her to stay meek and submissive all the time? Thinking back to the events of that day, Sakura came to the conclusion that yes, perhaps she had given off that impression.

"Well," Deidara started, lips curling into a smile once more. "Cat got claws after all, hmm."

"Deidara!" A frown appeared on Sakura's face as she gave the blond a look that wiped the smile away. "You're not being serious. Please answer me."

Said blond rolled his eye before returning his icy blue stare back to the girl. "I am serious, hmm. Furthermore; of course I'll answer you, but only because you said 'please'." This evoked an annoyed roll of the eyes from Sakura, but Deidara payed it no mind. "I've had my share of girls, hmm. I'm no inexperienced sucker who doesn't know what to do with ladies. If dear Shizune calls that womanizing, then that's her problem." He paused, holding Sakura's gaze. "Do you have a problem with it? Does it make you feel uncomfortable, the knowledge that I've been with other girls?"

Sakura sat up straight. "What? Um, no... I guess." The fact that he'd been with other girls only meant that he had lots of more experience than she did... And she really didn't want to dwell on that for much longer.

Sasori had been watching Sakura closely and finally decided to speak up and join the conversation. "I, too, have been with quite a lot of... with some girls." At the questioning look and raised eyebrow he received from the girl at his choice of words, the redhead merely smiled. "Quite the contrast with your love life, isn't it?"

Sakura's face reddened at this comment and she kept herself from opening her mouth to gape at him in disbelief. She couldn't believe he just said that out loud. Her body felt as if it radiated warmth—which it probably did. Somewhat ashamed, the girl averted her face and looked away, accidentally meeting Deidara's gaze and saw him beginning to smirk when he noticed her reddened features. She quickly faced away from him, returning to face Sasori's general direction but not wanting either of the guys to see her at that moment. A futile wish, since it was already too late. Not knowing what else to do in order to hide her red face, Sakura bowed her head down so that the pink strands of her hair fell around her features like a curtain falling closed. If she didn't feel bad and embarrassed enough already, she did when Deidara began to snicker, unable to hold in his amusement.

"Sakura," Sasori's gentle voice called out, tone laced with hints of promiscuity. "Would you like to gain more experience?"

As Sakura nearly choked with her imagination running wild with all the possible meanings of that sentence, Kisame returned to his room and happily threw the important key to Sasori who caught it in his hands without so much as a blink of the eye. The pink haired girl quickly scrambled away and went over to the other bed to sit on her lonesome, not deeming it necessary to stay close to the two guys who made such a fool out of her like that. However, it wasn't like she was left alone; along with Kisame came the whole entourage consisting of most of the other gang members of Akatsuki. Konan made a beeline for the bed Sakura had claimed for herself, settling herself down next to the girl. Pain sat down there as well and Hidan went over to Sasori and Deidara, knowing full well that the two had been alone with the pink haired girl and said girl was now trying to calm down and get her skin tone back to normal. After throwing Sakura an eerie grin, he gave Deidara a punch to his shoulder whereafter the two of them burst into laughter, Sasori shaking his head at them but wearing a small smile himself.

Kisame sat down on one of the chairs at the desk and a moment later Kakuzu entered the room, holding bags that turned out to contain liquor bottles. By the time that Sakura noticed them, she had regained her normal facial colors and tried not to stare too incredulously at the objects that were clearly prohibited.

"Don't gawk," Konan told her, busy with taking care of her nails. "You'll catch flies."

Sakura quickly closed her mouth and looked at the wall, not feeling like she belonged. For the umpteenth time that day she wondered why it had to be _her_ who was made to do this.

Time passed by as the group talked about the people who would be coming, the people who would definitely not be let in, who would get drunk first and who would pass out first; bets were made, Hidan and Deidara got into a mock fight, Kakuzu got angry and pulled them away from each other, followed by the two guys bursting out into laughter again. Kisame opened the first bottle of the evening, offering it to Kakuzu, saying it should help ease his headache. The tanned guy accepted it, all the while glaring at the blond and the silver haired guy—which made said guys have a hard time holding their renewed laughter back. They failed gravely, and when the birthday guy offered them a drink too they declined, telling him they didn't need the alcohol to get drunk and have a good time. The two promptly burst into laughter again, Hidan pushing Deidara off the bed and the blond countering by kicking Hidan so he landed on Sasori, who didn't waste a second with parking his fist in the silver haired guy's face.

Sakura sat still and watched the others, trying not to attract any particular attention to herself. She was amazed at how relaxed they were all acting around each other and how easy-natured most of them were, no matter how violence prone. A liquor bottle went round, everyone taking a sip or gulp, and eventually it reached the pink haired girl. Konan held the bottle out to her and Sakura hesitantly accepted it, holding it carefully in her hands and eying it as if she was looking at an alien. She had never had any alcohol containing drinks, saint that she was, and she really hadn't been thinking of starting any time soon. So, acting on the first thought that seemed logical enough, she held the bottle out to Sasori and waited for him to take it.

The redhead raised one delicate eyebrow and cocked his head. "You're supposed to drink some before you pass it on." The girl answered that she didn't drink alcohol, causing everyone's attention to focus on her. Sasori smiled and told her she should try it, as per say, now.

"You're not looking very comfortable, Sakura." Kisame couldn't possibly have been more right at that very moment, and Sakura felt as if she were caught in the act of some major crime. Luckily Kisame didn't seem to be offended of any sort; he reached inside one of the bags and pulled out a bottle that was a little smaller than most of the others. "Catch!" The blue haired guy threw her the bottle and Sakura managed to catch it—though it would have been fine if she had accidentally dropped it for it would have landed on the soft bed. "Drink that," Kisame told her with a grin, his expression one of someone who meant no harm whatsoever. "It will make you feel better, promise."

Sakura looked the birthday guy in the eyes and then moved her gaze to the bottle in her hands, but it was quickly snatched away from her. "Here, I'll open it for you," Konan said, and once the bottle was opened it was pushed back into Sakura's hands. The girl realized that she practically had no choice in the matter anymore, and while everyone watched her expectantly, she moved the bottle to her lips and took a sip. When she swallowed it didn't take long for her throat to be engulfed in a warm feeling. The taste of the drink wasn't all that bad, but with the next sip her throat heated up even more, so Sakura inhaled deeply in order for the slightly burning sensation to disappear. Apparently this, along with the expression on her face, caused the other people inside the room to chuckle and laugh. Opening her watery eyes to look at them, the glare she was planning to give them vanished when she saw that they weren't laughing to make her feel bad. If anything, on their faces there was something to be found along the likes of nostalgia.

"See?" Kisame smiled at her, making a gesture that encouraged her to drink more. "Come on, just this once."

The pink haired girl gave in when she saw the kind and sincere look on his face and took another sip, a bigger one this time. For some reason, she could feel herself getting used to the drink. Kisame had been right; it really did make her feel better. A small smile showed itself on her face as she drank more and some of the guys applauded and whistled—most likely Deidara, Hidan and Kisame.

"Remember," Pain spoke, even he was wearing a faint smile. "That bottle is going to be empty by the time we leave this room."

Kisame agreed loudly and Deidara and Hidan cheered when Sakura smiled and took another large gulp. For reasons Sakura didn't care to name, she began to have fun. She began to enjoy her time with those supposedly wannabe gangsters, laughing along as they messed around, not minding it when Sasori went over and sat next to her. When the bottle was empty, Kisame promised her she'd get another one when the party started. Pleased, the girl nodded and jumped when Sasori tickled her sides. She was pulled down on his lap, Sasori put his arms around her and she cuddled him back. Sakura heard laughter and looked up to see that both Deidara and Hidan were wrestling on the ground, dangerously close to where Kisame was sitting. The blue haired guy jumped over the two and went to sit on his bed, opposite Sakura and Sasori. He smiled at them, then pointed at the two engaged in their mock fight on the ground and said something the girl didn't quite catch. She smiled nonetheless and nodded at him, figuring he'd want her to agree with him.

Through her muddled thoughts, the notion that the party would probably not last all too long crossed her mind. As she looked at Kisame, she suddenly felt a sharp pang of guilt in her chest. His party was going to be ruined, and it was going to be her fault. All her fault.

"My, aren't you quiet all of a sudden." Sasori's hushed voice in her ear made Sakura turn her head to watch him. Her lips were caught in a kiss and soon her previous guilty thoughts had disappeared into thin air. Smiling in the kiss, she wound her arms around his neck and pressed into him.

* * *

19:39  
Staff's lounging room

"Let the party start!" Kisame pushed the door open that gave entrance to the staff's lounging room, the door having been unlocked some time earlier. The other Akatsuki went in after him, Kakuzu wearing the bags, Sasori carrying the CDs. Hidan rushed over to the curtains and pulled them all closed. Deidara came in with Sakura holding onto his arm and sat her down in a chair, telling her to stay there while he and Pain moved the tables to the walls. Kakuzu put the liquor on the tables, now standing against the walls, and Konan sat beside Sakura, holding a wineglass and offering one to the other girl as well. Sasori turned on the sound system, Hidan put out the Tl bars and plugged in more tasteful lights. Just when the music started, the first guests arrived.

* * *

20:13

Neji entered the crowded room that smelled of smoke and alcohol. Making his way through the mass of people and greeting a couple of guys he knew, he reached the table with the liquor and grabbed a beer. The dark haired guy turned around and leaned against the table as he took a gulp, scanning the room for any familiar persons. It wouldn't be for at least another hour until Kimimaro and his followers came to thrash this party.

He spotted Kisame standing some ways off, in the middle of the room near the curtain. Neji felt somewhat sorry for the guy. He really didn't have anything against him, but oh well. What has got to be done, gotta be done. It was the Akatsuki's own fault it had to come to this.

Deciding he had better congratulate the birthday guy to prevent becoming suspicious, Neji walked across the room to do just that. Tapping Kisame's shoulder, he greeted the guy and shook his hand. Grinning, the tall guy thanked him and asked him whether he was enjoying the party already. Neji nodded, then noticed a certain girl dancing about five meters in front of him. She seemed familiar, and at once the guy recognized her. She was the informant; the new girl that was with Gaara and Lee's group.

Neji frowned. For all the trouble she had been making out of it, she seemed to enjoy herself quite well.

* * *

20:26

Exhausted, Sakura plopped down in a chair and accepted that wonderful bottle Deidara gave her. Thanking him, she tried to open it, failed in doing so, gave it to the blond and ordered him to open it for her. Smirking down at her, Deidara took the bottle from her and opened it before taking a large gulp from it, resulting in an annoyed "Hey!" coming from Sakura, then gave it to her. The girl practically snatched out of his hands and held it in her hands securely, eying him suspiciously. Deidara smiled at her and after not too long, Sakura relented and smiled back before bringing the bottle to her mouth and drinking from it.

Sakura had danced a lot and met loads of people—most of whom she couldn't even remember the name of. She hadn't drunk all that much... At least, it could have been worse. She'd already seen people passing out, so she thought she was doing a wonderful job keeping herself together.

Deidara decided she had sat around for long enough now and pulled her out of her chair. Sakura protested, her legs feeling weak so she didn't think she could stand on her own. Then again, Deidara more or less forced her to stand and walk because he didn't wait for her to regain her balance. Pulling her along by her hand, he brought her to the far corner of the room where he sat her down on a table. Taking the bottle out of her hands and setting it aside, he quickly brought his hand up and grasped the girl's wrist, preventing her from slapping him. Sakura glared at him; he'd been putting her drinks away for so many times she didn't even care to count anymore. Deidara just grinned at her, letting go of her wrist and parting her legs so he could stand against her. Sakura somewhat realized what he wanted and was about to tell him off, but she couldn't get the words out of her mouth when she felt his tongue trail up her cheek. Her face flushed and she giggled before reaching up and entangling her arms around him.

* * *

21:06

The ice on her head felt so nice...

Sakura's brilliant green eyes opened and met Sasori's brown ones. The redhead righted himself and held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

The girl rolled her eyes and answered him: "Three."

Sasori nodded and smiled at her. "No need for the eye roll." He gave her a peck on her lips and sat down on the ground in front of her, holding the hand that wasn't holding the ice up. "Ease off the liquor, alright?" Sakura slowly nodded at him. Perhaps she had had a little too much.

"Well, at least you're enjoying yourself." Sasori smiled at her when she asked him if he was enjoying himself as well, before he moved to sit next to her against the wall. He let go of her hand and reached up to remove the ice and threw it away, then gently grasped the girl's face and turned it so she was facing him. "Oh, I'm enjoying myself." When he leaned in to kiss her, Sakura closed the distance between them thoughtlessly. She smiled as she tasted the alcohol on his tongue. The hypocrite; he had been drinking just as much—if not more—as she had.

* * *

21:34

The music drummed all around her as she danced. The girl that was dancing close to her and who she had spoken with a couple of times was Hana, her seemingly unfriendly neighbor who turned out to be Kiba's big sister. Sakura and Hana laughed as Deidara, Sasori and Hidan came their way and pushed everyone over who happened to stand in the way. As a new song started, the five of them danced together. Instead of how she thought she'd feel, Sakura felt comfortable, happy and giddy as they moved together on the rhythm and the heavy beat. At the sensual advances the guys made, she could only laugh and play along. When Deidara danced behind her and Sasori before her, Sakura almost lost it. The two came closer and closer until she was more or less sandwiched between them. Sakura figured that she really didn't care anymore about all the things that were wrong with the situation she was finding herself in. As they moved together, she couldn't help but enjoy herself. She didn't seem to be able to get rid of the smile on her face, not even when Sasori nipped at her lips and she felt Deidara's breath hot in her neck.

* * *

21:44

"I'm going to get something to drink," Sakura half shouted in Sasori's ear in order for him to hear her over the loud music. He nodded at her and told her to go drink some water; it would do her well. After throwing him a smile, Sakura squeezed herself through the mass of people and went over to the table with the drinks. Thank the heavens that bottles with water were placed amongst the liquor. The pink haired girl grabbed one, turned around and leaned against the table before taking a gulp. When she held the bottle down and eyed the people around her, she noticed a white haired guy enter the room. In less than an instant her happy mood went down to rest around depressive levels. It was Kimimaro. They had arrived.

Sakura dropped the bottle she was holding to the floor and searched the crowd for Deidara and Sasori. She found them quickly; standing behind Kisame.

* * *

21:47

"This is my birthday, goddammit! Get the hell out!"

Sakura heard Kisame's loud voice boom over the music, which was quite a feat. Standing on her toes to see Kimimaro over the crowd, who was standing in front of Kisame, she could see the white haired guy talking but she didn't hear a word of it. Whatever it was, Kisame didn't like it one bit. He said something she couldn't quite catch either, and from one moment to the next it became chaos. Sakura didn't know how fast she needed to get out. First things first: She needed to get away from the liquor.

The pink haired girl tried to make her way towards the exit, but she wasn't the only one. She barely avoided stepping on someone lying on the floor and pushed herself flat against the wall when someone flashed past her, hurting people while he was at it. One quick glance to her left told her everything she needed to know and she could have lived without the images.

Kisame stomping on people, Itachi stabbing them with what seemed like a knife, Deidara holding someone in a choke hold. Sasori stood on persons lying on the ground, his hands bloodied and holding broken bottles with sharp edges, blood dripping off them to the floor, seeping into the carpet.

~*~

* * *

This turned out to be one humongous chapter. I really, really hope you guys like it.  
A great deal of the last part of the story was made while I listened to 'If we ever meet again' by Timbaland and Katy Perry.

Yeah, Sakura was drunk at some point. For real.

Please share your thoughts and opinions! I'd like to know what you're all thinking now.


	12. I, 9: The day after

I

9, The day after

~*~

It was bright all of a sudden. Uncomfortably so. He felt so heavy, too. Everything was heavy. The darkness weighed down on him, pressing into him. It was dark, but light at the same time. Then there was this noise. Someone was breathing. The sound was nearby. It was really close to him; he could hear it, the rhythmic inhales and exhales. Calm and even. He felt his chest rise and fall, the weight of whatever it was slowly falling away. The breathing hitched and his eyes opened, at which moment the momentary realization that he had heard his own breaths came and went, and Deidara awoke.

His sleep had been dreamless and deep. He vaguely recognized the bed he was lying in didn't feel like his own, and he noticed the room he was finding himself in wasn't familiar at all. Or was it? For one, it wasn't his bedroom. Second, he did recognize where he was. The nurse's office. As ridiculous as this thought was, Deidara couldn't remember why he was where he was at that moment.

Groaning, he made to sit up, but he felt so heavy that he let the matter rest for a moment longer. Furthermore, his left shoulder pulsed with a constant and dull ache. Frowning, Deidara tried to move his left arm and almost cried out when a sharp pain shot through his upper arm. Taking in a deep breath, he moved his right arm and was relieved to find it functioning normally. He reached up and removed the blanket a bit and turned his head a little so that he could take a look at his left arm.

His left upper arm was covered in bandages. Deidara blinked and touched the white fabric with the fingers of his right hand. He wasn't dreaming. He was hurt. As weird as that sounded.

Heaving a sigh, he put the blanket down again and took a look around himself. The light that had seemed so intensely bright at first, wasn't all that bright after closer inspection. It must have been his eyes, being light sensitive and all. Must have been some slumber. In fact, he couldn't remember going to sleep. Maybe he passed out.

Deidara scowled at the ceiling. Passing out? Him? No way in hell. Letting out an annoyed breath, he turned his head to glance around him. When he saw the person lying in the bed next to him, he did a double take. That red hair, the shape of his face. It was unmistakable. That was Sasori.

Propping himself up on his right elbow, ignoring the pain that erupted from his left upper arm that protested against being moved, Deidara sat himself up. Reaching behind him, he pulled the pillow upright and leaned against it, then watched Sasori again. The fact that he had been brought into the infirmary was unbelievable in itself, but Sasori too? How could that be?

Sasori seemed to be out as a light, the only movement coming from him was his steady breathing. Other than that, he was completely still. Whatever his injury was, it was covered by his blanket. Shaking his head and frowning, Deidara tried to remember what could possibly have caused the both of them to be knocked out and sent to the nurse's. It was ridiculous.

It was then that the blond noticed a third person in the room. To Sasori's left lay someone else. A guy, red hair, a ridiculous amount of black eyeliner... Deidara stared. Well, damn them all.

If that wasn't Gaara.

In a surge of recollection, Deidara remembered. The party, the music, the liquor, the girls... the fight. The gun.

Deidara whipped his head up and glared at the sleeping Gaara. That redhead had shot him. Out of nowhere there had been that gun pointed at him, in the hands of the red haired sophomore. The hatred in his eyes. He had known. He knew.

The blond had anticipated the gunshot the moment he saw the weapon. In a quick, frantic move, he had turned away when the trigger was pulled. Instead of his heart, he had been hit in his upper arm. So lucky. Deidara smirked lightly. Very lucky. He could see the bandages on Gaara's body from where the blanket didn't cover his flesh. It seemed his left shoulder and part of his chest were bandaged. His smirk grew wider. Gaara hadn't been that lucky. Whoever had shot the guy, the aim had been great.

While looking back at Sasori, Deidara wondered who had shot him and where he had been hit. It could have been Gaara as well. But then, who shot Gaara?

Deidara let out a sigh and leaned back against his pillow. Were the three of them the only ones who got hurt pretty bad? Or were they the only ones hit by bullets? Images from the previous night—or was it? Maybe a couple of days had already passed—came back to him and he knew for certain that they weren't the only ones injured. Not by far. Then, maybe they were the only ones who had passed out.

He scowled. The thought alone made him feel like such a weakling. They couldn't possibly be the only ones who were hurt so bad that they needed supervision. Come to think of it, supervision his ass. He had seen no one other than the three of them thus far. They might as well have left them

Speak of the devil and he shall come. Deidara looked up when the door opened and two persons walked in. Tsunade, the school nurse, and Ibiki entered the room and closed the door. In one quick glance around her, Tsunade saw that Deidara was the only one awake and walked towards him. Pulling a chair up to his bed, she sat down and watched him. From the corners of his eyes, Deidara saw that Ibiki was settling himself against the wall next to the door.

"Glad to have you back," Tsunade started the conversation. Deidara rolled his eyes. There wouldn't be a conversation if he was able to do anything about it. "How are you feeling?"

The guy stared her in the eyes.

"Right." The blond woman had to resist sighing. Obviously, Deidara wasn't going to cooperate. "You received a bullet wound in your left upper arm."

Deidara didn't say anything and resisted rolling his eyes again. _Way for stating the obvious, woman._

"Can you tell me what happened last night?"

Silence. Holding her gaze, Deidara only blinked obstinately. It was important that everyone said the same things. The story had to be right, make sense and be the perfect cover up. If not, they'd be in trouble. Of course, the thought that he was already in trouble to begin with didn't even cross the blond's mind.

Tsunade frowned. "You're not going to say anything?"

The blond guy supposed he could humor her by actually speaking to her. "Nope."

The woman's frown turned into an outright scowl. "Nothing?" The volume of her voice rose as she spoke. "Have you even got some sense of responsibility? You were injured, as were other students!"

"Tch." Deidara turned his head and faced away from her, looking at the blissfully sleeping Sasori instead. As much as he wanted to ask about those other injured students, he kept himself from doing so. Fat chance she was going to listen to him now he was acting this way towards her.

"Tell me what happened, Deidara!" She got no response. Not even a glance her way. Just when she felt like she was about to burst and outright scream down at the blond student, he turned his head and stared her dead in the eyes.

"As if that's going to change anything, hmm." He wasn't going to tell them anything. The obvious things they already knew, and that should be enough. There had been a party. Party escalated into a fight. Fight got people injured. That's all there was to it. As for the rest... That wasn't for them to find out. They should quit acting like they cared already and start acting like the ignorant teachers they were supposed to be. _I got shot. Apparently Sasori did, too. But that guy... Who shot him?_

"Young man..." Ibiki's deep, gruff voice made itself known, demanding attention. "You will talk. Do you actually want your shooter to wander around freely?"

When hearing this, Deidara watched him with amusement. He couldn't help himself and he knew it irritated the man, so he smirked. _Wander around freely? No. There's no need to worry about that.. _He glanced at the unconscious Gaara and felt his smirk turn into a wide grin.

Ibiki frowned when Deidara turned to watch him again. He had seen who the kid had watched, so he had enough material to form his suspicions. Still, the look the kid wore on his face when they met each other's gazes... It was unsettling him. A brat his age shouldn't grin like that in the situation at hand. The look in the blond's blue eyes was eerie and that grin was one he had witnessed on many a criminal's face before.

For some reason, Deidara seemed to feel the older man's shift in thoughts and skillfully exploited it. With a dark voice he spoke.

"He won't go anywhere, hmm."

* * *

It was dark and he could hear someone breathe. It felt like it was coming from within him. His chest rose, which confirmed his suspicions. It was his own breath. Slowly, muddled voices started to float towards him. Feeling unusually heavy and tired, he tried to make sense of it but his mind just wasn't ready yet for processing a lot of information. As such, he just continued focusing on breathing slowly and evenly. Sure enough, the weights that he felt were hanging onto him were slowly lifted and the darkness started to disappear. The voices came back, clearer now. Inhaling deeply, Sasori opened his eyes and immediately closed them upon being met with this bright light intruding his vision. The voices became louder too. Louder... too loud.

"He's awake! Sasori, answer me. How long have you been to?"

Sasori groaned, willing the voice to back off.

"Boy, careful there. Now, Sasori..."

Sasori pulled one of his own hands up and held it in front of his eyes, but it was pulled away by someone else. "No..." He didn't want all this commotion. Not right now. "Go away..."

Someone, probably the one who took his hand away, dragged his body upwards into a sitting position in one firm movement. Opening his eyes to slits, Sasori saw his evildoer. With a "Drink this," a glass with what was probably water was put to his lips. Finding his lips were dry—as was his throat—Sasori drank the liquid eagerly before glaring at the blond woman; Tsunade.

"I didn't get a glass of water, hmm."

"You looked fine to me, Deidara."

_Deidara?_ Dazed, Sasori tried to focus his eyes, succeeded in doing so and gazed past the blond woman to see his friend sitting on the bed to his right. Deidara...

"Ignore him, Sasori," Tsunade spoke and put the glass away. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

_Last night?_ Sasori frowned, shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to clear his mind and get rid of the hazy fog that seemed to keep him from thinking... from remembering anything at all that had happened the previous days. "I... don't remember." He looked up and gazed into Tsunade's eyes. It felt strange, being questioned about something he didn't know. He didn't like the feeling. It made everything seem so... out of his hands. He wasn't aware of what was happening, where he was, what had happened that he was supposed to know about. He hated not knowing. "What happened?"

Tsunade watched him and saw the confusion the boy conveyed through his eyes. She didn't doubt his sincerity for a moment. Smiling gently, she stroked Sasori's hair before standing up. "We found you on the staircase of your dormitory. You were shot in your right leg, in your thigh, and you had hit your head on a stair step, which might explain why you can't remember."

Sasori shook his head lightly. It still didn't make sense. Tsunade told him she'd take her leave now and Ibiki followed her out, leaving Deidara and Sasori to themselves, together with the still sleeping Gaara. Deidara sighed and looked sideways at his friend. "You honestly can't remember, hmm?" Sasori shook his head again. "Look to your left, then. See something familiar?"

The redhead did as he was asked and saw Gaara lying on the bed next to his. "It's some brat. What's so special about him."

Deidara raised an eyebrow, though Sasori did not see it. "He shot me, hmm. He might as well have shot you too." To the blond's delight, something about Sasori seemed to shift after he had spoken his words. "Do you remember now?"

Sasori was silent. Shot... He was shot. The blur of an image came and went. He had seen... Suddenly it all came back to him. He had been standing with his back to Deidara when said guy was shot in his arm. In the chaos that followed—not that it hadn't already been a chaos inside that room—a lot of people had tried to get out as fast as possible; including Sasori. It didn't help that the other redhead was specifically aiming for him and tried to get a clear shot. "I was making my way upstairs. I had barely reached the stairs before I was hit."

Deidara smiled. "That guy, too?" Sasori nodded at him. "I see, hmm..." The blond chuckled. "That makes it all so much less complicated, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Sasori let out, lost in thought. "It doesn't explain, though. Everything that happened the way it did. It wasn't even supposed to get to a fight. It's not right." He shook his head and leaned back, positioning his pillow so that he sat more comfortably. "Something went wrong, and we need to find out what it was. No one except the people that we wanted it to know, knew where the party was taking place. Somebody ratted us out."

"Like a mole?" Again, Sasori nodded. "Got an idea, hmm?"

The redhead stayed silent for a bit. They needed to find out who betrayed them and had ultimately gotten them in such a predicament. Whoever it was, they'd have hell to pay. "I don't think I can walk..." Sasori moved his left leg, which seemed to function just fine. His right leg, however... He could move his toes, his foot, his ankle. When he started moving his knee, a dull ache began making itself known. Pulling his leg up was out of the question. Entirely out of the question. Feeling like he should at least try a little to find out the extent of his injury, Sasori ignored his senses and moved his leg.

"Aah!" Sasori threw his head back against his pillow and clenched his jaws shut. It hurt, dammit. It goddamn hurt. "I can't walk. You get your ass out of bed, brat."

Deidara laughed at his friend's stupid antics. "Whatever you say, my man." When he saw Sasori's glare directed at him, the blond chuckled with narrowed eyes. "You idiot, hmm. Moving your leg like that. It's like asking for pain."

"I never asked for pain, you mentally retarded asshole. You just find out whoever is responsible for this, contact the rest and _make something hurt before I do._"

"Vicious, hmm." Deidara moved his legs off his bed and precariously maneuvered his left arm so that it hurt as little as possible. _Let's see... clothes..._ He looked around and found them, neatly folded on a chair standing some ways off. Standing up, he slowly made his way to the chair and stood before it. A little fact that wasn't all that insignificant made itself known to him. He had one arm that was of any use. Sighing, he picked up his pants, unfolded it by shaking it out and put it on in ways that he found to be rather... retarded. But oh well, it wasn't like he had much of a choice. Furthermore, it wasn't as if anyone was watch—ing.

Sasori chuckled from his spot on the bed. "Looking good, Deidara."

"Shut the hell up! What are you, gay?"

The red haired guy's eyes widened as they met Deidara's. They both made a face at the same time. "Gods, Deidara. Don't ever... Ugh." Sasori willed his face to go back to normal but found it harder than he had imagined it to be. Deidara on the other hand quickly busied himself with putting on his shoes, leaving the shoelaces for what they were. Next up was his shirt... which was going to be impossible on his own. On his own... Deidara gazed at Sasori, who raised an eyebrow at him.

Shaking his head, Sasori sighed. "Come here, brat." When Deidara had come, he motioned for him to sit down on the bed. "Watch out for my leg." Deidara only smirked. "Raise your arms," he said as he took the shirt from his friend. Deidara, logically, only raised his right arm. Sasori smiled, remembering how the blond had laughed when his leg had hurt. "This might just hurt a bit..."

"What will—Aah! You fucker!" The redhead had expertly used his friend's momentary lapse of focus to force the wounded arm up and shove the shirt over his head. But hey, it worked for him. "You goddamn mother—"

"Don't even go there." Sasori fixed Deidara with a halfhearted glare, the expression on his face inclining more to a smug, self-complacent look. "Now, get up and leave." Deidara stood, his visage contorted in one of pain and anger. Just as he was about to walk away, Sasori gestured towards his shoes, then motioned for him to put his feet on the bed so he could tie the shoelaces. The blond grudgingly did as told and quickly left when the redhead was done.

A smile ghosted on Sasori's calm features as he watched his friend disappear. He stared absentmindedly to the wall opposite his bed for a while before he thought it best to lie down for some time. He began to feel tired again. Laying his pillow down the way it had originally lain and carefully shifting his body so that he was in a lying position, Sasori allowed himself to rest. The last glance before he closed his eyes was directed at the still sleeping redhead in the bed next to him. Sasori calmly exhaled and relaxed his muscles.

_Sweet dreams, Gaara. It might be one of your last chances before your nightmare begins..._

* * *

The window was open, a light breeze making the curtains flutter before it reached the girl lying on her belly on the bed. It was about eleven AM, but she hadn't gone to her classes. Neither had any other student for that matter; earlier that day it had become known that classes were suspended for an unspecified amount of time that included at least the entire day. No one was allowed to leave the main building, which meant that the most you could do was go down to the cafeteria and grab a bite, go to the library to pick up a book to kill time or stay alone in your room. Forming cliques was prohibited, as was going over to someone else's room.

Sakura had stayed in her room after eating breakfast and speaking with Ino for a bit in the cafeteria. The overall mood in the building had been heavy and anxious. Ino had told her that the teachers had called an emergency meeting the previous night and they still weren't sure who the culprit or culprits were. Every room was going to be searched and everyone who was suspected of having had something to do with last night's party was going to be questioned.

The most important thing Ino had mentioned though, was the fact that she had heard from Temari, who had heard from Kankuro, who had been with Shikamaru who had spoken with Chouji who had gone by Lee's room to deliver some food, that Gaara hadn't been there. It wasn't possible that the redhead had gone to the cafeteria or to the library either, because Neji had told him that Gaara had gone to the party and hadn't returned. Apart from Sakura feeling dumbfounded when hearing how Ino's connections worked, she realized that Gaara had probably gotten hurt and he'd gotten hurt so badly that he hadn't been able to return to his room.

And so Sakura had spent her time in her room, making some homework, found she couldn't concentrate well enough and opted for getting that diary entry done she had been working on the night before. At that time she hadn't been able to get her mind to work clearly, so she had just let herself fall to sleep. Now however, she wrote like crazy to get her thoughts and emotions on paper so that they wouldn't nag at her mind anymore.

Once done, the pink haired girl had heaved a sigh and had rolled on her back, staring at the ceiling and wondering what she should do next. Homework still wasn't an option, so she had settled with continuing to read in the black book. She had grabbed it, had rolled back onto her belly and had opened it in front of her. After taking some time to readjust to the handwriting, she became engrossed in what she was reading, which brought us to the current point in time where Sakura was lying motionless on the bed, book laid out in front of her, occasionally flipping a page with the breeze lightly raking through her hair.

A frown was currently displayed on her facial features. The story she was reading puzzled her. Where at first there was only her name that belonged to one of the main characters—a fact that could still be put off as a coincidence—as she read on, more and more characters turned out to sport names of people she knew in real life. More importantly, those characters even looked the same as said people. As the story continued, Sakura became more and more fascinated. She really wondered who the author was, and more importantly; how the story was going to end. Though it hadn't initially gotten her attention, while she was busy reading she had noticed that throughout the text, occasionally there were illustrations to be found. Not all that large, but they were there... and in their frightening accuracy of those she knew, they freaked her out.

_With the Hokage engaged in battle with Orochimaru, all jounin and chuunin preoccupied of their own and his friends all rendered useless, Naruto realized he was standing alone in this. He alone was going to have a chance at stopping him. And a worthy adversary he was, the young boy saw, for the redhead in front of him started to transform even more. In the hospital, Naruto had felt a connection with the boy he was fighting, but now he came to see the differences between them only all too clearly. While he had seen someone so alike to himself back then; someone who had been through the same things, experienced the same pain, hurt and anguish... all he could see now was a monster. Gaara and he had both been despised and lonely, but now they were vastly different. Gaara had become stuck in his bitterness and loneliness; he hadn't had anyone to get him out of his darkness. That still didn't mean that Naruto would let him get away with hurting his friends. Unlike the redhead, Naruto had finally found people that cared about him, and he'd be damned if he was going to let anyone take that away from him. For his name was Uzumaki Naruto, he would protect them with his life; That, he swore._

She had only known him for a couple of days, but Sakura wondered whether the Naruto she knew was anything alike to the Naruto in her book. If so, she really ought to appreciate him more. His ideals were really noble. Then again, it was just a book, no matter how creepy, and it was just a random story which meant it was fake and not real. Of course, that should've been obvious from the start. The whole ninja-protect-the-world thing and the monsters and magic was kinda over the top. Though Sakura had to admit; it was a good kind of 'over the top'. The characters were incredibly in-depth, everything was described so clearly, so vivid. It was like she was reading some history book, or some kind of medieval fantasy story with hints of sci-fi and romance, laced with humor, and an overall storyline of suspense with a lot of character development.

For some reason, reading the story made Sakura wonder whether the world she was reading about really existed and whether the life she was living right then and there wasn't some kind of illusion, turning out to be one big dream. Maybe everything she was going through right now was one big scam, one giant fake world, and she'd wake up at a certain point as the young kunoichi Sakura Haruno, only to continue working for her village, having fun with her friends, biding for the love of her life to acknowledge her, with the outcome of her life already preset: A happy ending. Because after having overcome all evil, that's what main characters always ended up with having.

Okay, that was it for now. Sakura slammed the book closed and sat up. That story was getting to her head. Shaking her head to herself, she stood and went over to her window before closing it. Standing still, the pink haired girl looked out over the cherry trees beneath her. All of a sudden, her tummy made a weird noise, causing Sakura to giggle and turn around, making her way for the door. It was time to get something to eat. Perhaps she'd see Ino down there as well, and knowing the blond, she'd probably have loads of new information for her.

* * *

The school grounds were deserted and the sun's rays shone down on the trees, grass, gravel paths and buildings, unhindered by clouds. The gravel crunched underneath Deidara's shoes as he walked to the main building. He hadn't encountered a single person, a fact he considered to be a blissful thing. A student he would be able to fend off, but a teacher would have been troublesome.

Once he came near the main building, walking along the cherry trees, he saw the reason for his not encountering anyone: A lot of people were inside the building; the blond could see them through the windows of the cafeteria. Through the windows in the arm of the building that led to the cafeteria, it became apparent that quite a lot of students were lounging there. Deidara came to the conclusion that everyone was ordered to stay inside the building while the teachers ran their little investigation.

As he neared the glass wall opposite the main entrance, there was a brief moment in which he hesitated. He hadn't said anything about what happened at the party but what if someone else had? Or even worse; what if a lot of others had?

Deidara shook his head to himself, opened the door and stepped inside. Due to the sun that shone down through the glass, the main hall was pleasantly warm. The couple of students that walked around were ignored as he made his way to the stairs. Then, all of a sudden, a pink haired girl came downstairs, crossed the wide hallway and was about to enter the left arm of the building.

"Sakura!"

The second he had called her name he regretted it. Sakura, as expected when you hear your name being called, turned her head and saw him. Deidara saw her eyes widen—with shock? Fear? Relief?—whereafter she rushed her way over to him. Other than a little awkwardness, she seemed to be fine. Not wounded; nothing.

A smile appeared on Sakura's face, wavering when she saw the blond's bandaged left arm but returning when she locked her eyes with his. "You're okay." When she saw the look Deidara gave her, she quickly added an: "All in a relative sense, of course."

"Of course, hmm."

The two stood there for a couple of moments, Sakura suddenly finding a need to avoid Deidara's stare. "So," she began eventually, a little uncertain of how to go about what she wanted to ask. "How is Sasori doing? Haven't seen him around yet." Deidara didn't answer, just kept staring at the girl in front of him. Apparently the teachers hadn't made the information on who were shot public. "Has he been..."

"Shot? Yeah, hmm."

Sakura swallowed and seemed to ponder this as she looked out the glass wall, Deidara observing her quietly. "And who... who else?"

"Do you think there's another person who was shot, hmm?" Deidara raised an eyebrow at the pink haired girl, who frowned lightly and averted her gaze again. She had probably already had contact with those friends of hers, which meant that there was a high probability that they'd suspect Gaara to be shot too. But if they did, then they also knew he had gone to the party, which meant Gaara had known about the party's whereabouts and so they had, too. Someone had relayed the information to them in secret, and that person...

Deidara's eyes narrowed. And that person would have heard it personally from one of the Akatsuki, someone whose trustworthiness was disputable. Someone who would undoubtedly feel guilty and avoid his gaze while talking to him about the subject.

"I... I heard that Gaara hadn't returned since last night."

"Really? Was he invited to the party? Or does he belong to Kimimaro's group..." Deidara let the sentence linger while gazing down at Sakura. "I don't remember either of those being true, hmm." Sakura swallowed again, still not meeting his eyes. _Guilty_, Deidara thought.

Sakura couldn't answer, finding her throat having tightened so she couldn't get a word out. Her mouth opened, but her voice refused to cooperate. She felt the tension weighing down on her and she chanced a look at the blue eyed guy before her, only to find him staring into her eyes with such an intensity that she felt like breaking down right then and there and tell him the truth. But she couldn't. She could never; it would mean her doom. So many people got hurt, at least two got shot, and it was all her fault. Sakura tore her eyes away and averted her gaze again when Deidara's voice spoke up and made her cringe.

"Sakura, look at me."

The pressure on her chest multiplied as she forced herself to look at him. No matter how hard she swallowed, the tightness in her throat just wouldn't go away. Taking a deep breath, Sakura looked up and met his gaze.

She was shocked to find him gently smiling down at her.

"You should get something to eat, hmm. You don't look too well."

In an instant, all weights fell off her and once again she could breathe effortlessly. Deidara's eyes had changed; they were soft now, gentle. Not knowing what triggered this mood swing so suddenly—but not questioning it either—Sakura smiled, relief filling her to her core. Everything was okay, Deidara wasn't accusing her of anything.

"Come here," Deidara said before pulling Sakura to him with his right arm, pressing her against him. He noticed that the girl didn't mind at all; she all too willingly encircled her arms around his body.

"Just watch out for the—Aah! Ouch, dammit!"

"I'm sorry! Are you hurt?"

"Yes!" Deidara sighed and shook his head. "Never mind that, hmm. Just... watch out for the arm."

* * *

A hand reached for the doorknob and twisted it. Surprisingly, it budged and the door opened smoothly. She hadn't locked it.

Briefly smiling to himself, Deidara stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. He considered locking it from the inside, but figured that would be strange for the current resident that was out for lunch once she got back. Walking up to the bed, the blond looked around himself and searched the room for something that could clue him in to whatever the girl had been up to. There had to be something...

It was then that his eye fell on a familiar object: The diary.

It was perfect. He remembered from the last time that he had taken a look through it that the thing was regularly updated on her everyday life. This meant that with some luck, the past couple of days were written down as well. It really was perfect. Picking the little book up, he skimmed through the pages until he found the dates that he had been looking for. Letting out a short laugh, Deidara let himself fall backwards on the bed, the sharp pain that shot through his left arm ignored for the moment. _Tuesday, March 17th, followed by Wednesday, March 18th..._

After staring at the dates with what seemed like some kind of incredulous feeling, the blond got over the fact that it was likely he was experiencing his lucky day after what could have been his worst day of the year, and he stood up before leaving the girl's room and closing the door behind him, diary still in hand. Smiling to himself once again, Deidara walked the short distance to his own room and went inside. Once having made a beeline for his bed, he carefully sat himself down and made himself comfortable with pillows supporting his back. Satisfied with everything, the blond opened the diary and began reading, starting from the entry on Monday, March 16th, the first entry she had made since she had met him. Figuring he had oceans of time ahead of him anyway, he thought he might as well investigate his little suspect thoroughly. A grin stretched itself on his lips as he saw the bulk of pages that belonged to the previous three days.

Well, he guessed it was true that Sakura had gone through quite a lot since their meeting.

* * *

_Wednesday, March 18th again_

_Beloved diary,_

_Well, let's try this again, shall we? Nobody came after me last night, thank the heavens. I suppose I'm relatively safe then since no one suspects me. If they were, I'd already be about half dead by now, completely shot through by dozens of bullets. Yeah, that's my imagination running rampant on me. Believe me, this is actually one of the mildest scenarios._

_Anyway, I've got some serious issues to sort out, and not the least important is this issue with two certain guys that I stubbornly refuse to admit to liking. However, that's all in a moment's notice. First of all, I need to get the events of this day—er, yesterday, off my chest. So, without any further ado, and forgive me for ranting:_

_I hate Kimimaro, and I detest Gaara. They are both insensitive assholes that only care about themselves and do not care in the slightest about the feeling of other people. At all. And I know that's stupid to say, because Gaara only did what he felt was the right thing to do—revenge for Lee, and we all agreed to it—but still. I didn't want to get involved like this, I _never_ wanted it to come to this. I told him I didn't want to, whereafter he brought forth his little buddy Kimimaro who consequently forced me, literally forced me by scaring me, to cooperate._

_Cooperate with what, you might be asking yourself? Do let me explain: I was to somehow get the information on the whereabouts of Kisame's party out of one of the Akatsuki members. Translation: I was to seduce it out of them. Now, they didn't say it explicitly—though Kankuro came really, _really_ close—but apparently my reputation is that of Akatsuki's whore._

_You won't believe how angry I am because of that. How much it frustrates me... It is unfair. I never even... I don't want to be looked upon like that. All I ever did was let myself be kissed a couple of times, and half of the time I was being surprise attacked. But what can I do about it? Tell them to stop? Um, like that'll actually work? Because I can tell you now: It won't. Furthermore, yesterday was so weird... and it contradicts everything I've been thinking up 'till now. It also contradicts all the signs that (I hope) I had previously been giving off to those guys._

_So I don't like them? _Wrong._ I do like them. You might notice the 'them' here, and it's true. It's wrong, so wrong, but I can't help it. If I could, then I would. With all my heart, I swear I would. And no, I'm not in love. I refuse to call it that. It is merely... infatuation? Infatuation._

_Nothing more._

* * *

Does she even believe it herself? The blond guy shook his head lightly.

* * *

_And am I always being honest with myself? No, wrong again. What does this mean? This means that whatever I'm telling myself may as well be a lie. Sasori said he hates liars. He doesn't know it yet—and I hope he never will—but he must have really hated me if he knew. And then I'm not even adding the fact that I am the cause of Kimimaro's appearance at Kisame's party to his hatred for me. From now on, I'm sure I'll fear him for the rest of my days. Why? Because if he ever found out, my life would be over._

_I think I might be the biggest liar on earth. How can I even live with myself? Well, I guess I'll inform you now: I can't._

_Guilt is eating me alive. It presses down on my chest, it cuts off my air supply, its claws are contracting around my throat with each minute that I'm thinking about what I did, what I caused. As far as I know, Deidara and Sasori could be hurt really bad. And that would be my fault. And it is: It is all my fault. All those people that have gotten hurt is because of me._

_Okay, I'll just cut the crap and the emo ranting about how it's all my fault, because I feel it's no use repeating the same thing over and over again. I think it's about clear now that I'm feeling so guilty that it's making me ill and I wish I could undo what I did but I can't and I'll just have to live with it._

* * *

Such a drama queen. Is she even serious?

* * *

_Thing is: I'm a weakling and I don't want to deal with the consequences. I'm so pathetic... Okay, enough with the misery business. I enjoyed yesterday. You hear that? I'm a contradiction, aren't I? First proclaiming I want to undo what I did if I could, and now this. Allow me to explain. I... I don't enjoy my forced participation with the whole 'relaying information'-thing. It just really doesn't sit well with me. But I've written about that._

_I enjoyed spending time with them. Though this sounds so stupid to me, I guess I can write it down now since I really need to stop lying to myself and no one but you, my dear diary, will ever read this. No offense, diary, but you equal nobody. So, without any further ado: Sasori kissed me! Twice!_

* * *

The blond guy chuckled. She was such an inexperienced newbie when it came to this. And about the diary... Well, too bad for her.

* * *

_And now I've got no idea why I wrote that down. Oh, wait, maybe I do; it wasn't just an impulse. Sasori is such a scapegrace. He is so... annoying and attractive and really irritating and devious at the same time. It makes my head spin at times. And he is unpredictable. Sometimes I can't stand it, but on the other hand... Well, he did piss Pedomaru off and kiss me at the same time during Chemistry. Long story short: Those kisses have everything to do with me coming to like him. And it's not just a normal liking either. It's so strange. This feeling that I've been having with Deidara for a couple of days now, is now making itself known when I'm with, near or thinking about Sasori too._

* * *

Really now? Interesting. Say, what more have you written about us?

* * *

_Wow, I sound so obsessed right now. I feel like hitting myself. Hard. I like two guys. Most stupid thing, the thing that I want to hit myself for the hardest: I think I got drunk last night. I think I drank too much. You know whose fault that is? Cute lil' Sasori and amazingly sweet Deidara, yes, yes. Together with their friends, they are to be calling themselves the Get-Sakura-drunk-and-do-god-knows-what-to-her Squad. I vaguely remember dancing in ways that are... very inappropriate. I think they kissed me a lot. Oh, wait a... This means that Sasori kissed me more than twice. Deidara kissed me a lot too. I kissed them as well. No force, just... because I wanted to, apparently. But you don't just kiss random guys, right? Even I am not that fucked up. Hell, I hadn't even been kissed by anyone, ever, before I met the two of them._

* * *

By now, the guy laughed out loud. Such innocence...

* * *

_Fine then, I'll just all out admit it to myself, right here and now. I... like... No! I can't! It's not working. There's this kind of restraint that's keeping me from writing it down. I want to write it and then I just stop and... think... I can't think. I must not. I need to get this out. Off of me. Away._

_I really, really like them. Might love kind of thingy..._

_That actually took me a long time to write down. Right now, I feel like jumping and running around. Seriously. All this energy... I'm weirding myself out._

* * *

And me, too. Really like me, and him as well? Might love? Go away.

* * *

_You know, this won't make a difference anyway. I need to get over it, and they don't like me to begin with. They view me as some kind of game or conquest, I think. Well, whatever it is, it will be over soon. They'll hear about it, find out. I'm done for. If they'll ever find out I actually, honestly like them, they'll look down at me and laugh. There is no future between a miserable being such as myself, indecisive, insecure, and though I hate to admit it, so easily manipulated, and them. They'd break me down and tear me apart. I refuse to think of that literally. I fear them. Oh, and there's this little matter of them being with two. A couple usually contains two people. Not three._

_Well, that's it for now. You won't believe how relieved I am right now. I love having you, diary. I don't know what I'd do without you. If people only knew the secrets that you keep..._

_With love, Sakura._

* * *

And this, Deidara thought, was exactly the reason why diaries weren't supposed to be read by strangers. The honesty in the words she had written down shocked him, if only a little. Where the hell did she muster the courage to write these things down? The answer immediately entered his mind: Because it wasn't meant to be read by anyone else. The question now would be deciding what to do with this valuable piece of information now that it _had_ been read by someone else.

Deidara sighed and closed the diary. He had gotten an interesting view inside the mind of a girl he was playing with. However, the time for amusement was over.

"Sucks to be you, Sakura, hmm."

* * *

A hand rhythmically tapped on the wall, blue eyes carefully watched every movement of the redhead sitting on the bed, catching every blink, every little twitch, down to the slowly forming frown. Deidara let out a slightly impatient breath. Watch him, Pain had said, because they all knew what Sasori could be like when he felt wronged.

Sasori was acting quite calmly, considering the information he was reading and the physical state he was in. Deidara had expected him to loose it and at least get angry, but none of his expectations seemed to manifest itself. The redhead held the diary in his hands, reading it through as though he was looking through an encyclopedia; unmoved, his small frown an indication that there were things he just didn't understand, but other than that he looked placid. It was as if he had known all along that he was going to come across something like this. That something like this would happen. That he was surprised that what he was reading actually came as a surprise at all when he had already suspected it all along.

The diary shut closed in one quick move and for the next moments Sasori kept staring down at it. He really shouldn't be surprised at all.

When he moved his gaze up and watched his blond friend, said guy spoke up, relieved that the outburst hadn't occurred. "Any comments, hmm?"

"That bitch," Sasori muttered.

Deidara raised his eyebrow, grinning a little. "Ah, so you _are_ angry?"

"What ever made you think I wasn't, brat?"

The blond chose not to comment on that. "Pain said he wasn't going to do anything just yet. You okay with that, hmm?"

Sasori glared slightly. "I suppose there isn't any room for disagreement." Deidara shook his head at him, and Sasori looked away, his gaze lingering on the redhead lying on the bed next to him. His friend didn't look back at him and just then it occurred to the blond that Gaara was currently getting Sasori's undivided attention. The whole situation sunk in and Deidara promptly began laughing. "I know what you're thinking. I've seen that look before, hmm."

Sasori furtively glanced at his friend before continuing to look at the sleeping Gaara.

"You know what that's called in biological terms?" No response. "Redirected behavior."

At this, Sasori began to smirk. "I know." He moved his left arm, extending it towards the other redhead. He didn't reach the boy, but his fingers curled as if he was weaving them through Gaara's hair. From Sasori's point of view, it seemed like his hand hovered over the boy's hair, face, neck. His hand closed, making a fist. "Oh, Sakura..." He imagined his hand enclosing around a certain girl's throat. "But not yet..."

"Talking to yourself, now? Loneliness must really be getting to you."

"Shut up, idiot. I don't know what Pain is planning, but I'll find out soon enough. Regardless... he didn't say anything about Gaara, did he?"

"Nope." Deidara's grin began to grow. "Found an easy target, hmm?"

Sasori retracted his arm, bringing his hand to cover the diary before finally looking at his friend again. "I'll wait until he wakes up. It's no fun if he's sleeping." He looked down at the diary and opened it, absentmindedly flipping through the pages filled with heartfelt words. "I want to keep onto this."

The blond rolled his eyes. "So you've got something to do? You're evil, hmm. Violating someone's most precious thoughts like that."

"You hypocrite." Sasori gave the maliciously grinning Deidara a pointed look and stopped at a random page in the diary, then started to read. "After what she did, she deserves it. Furthermore, I'm going to get as much information on her as possible, all for blackmailing purposes, of course. This 'act like you don't know'-plan of Pain's isn't going to last forever."

"Whatever you say, hmm." Deidara got off the wall and stretched his limbs, minus his left arm. "Well, I'll be off then. See ya."

With this, the blond walked out of the room. In an afterthought, Sasori quickly looked up from the diary. "Hey, open the..." But he was just a second late; Deidara was already gone. "...window. Tch, great." The room was gradually getting murky; Sasori wanted some fresh air. After throwing the closed window a glare, the redhead focused on the diary again, wondering idly when the next visitor was going to stop by.

If anyone was going to come at all.

~*~

* * *

I listened to the dubbed version of Shippuden lately.

Honestly: "Sasori, _my man_"? Noes! How could they make Deidara so gay? Not that there's anything wrong with gay. As my friend and I always say: Everyone's gay^^ As in, the literal sense of the word. I don't understand why anyone would even bother using the word 'gay' as profanity.

So, because of the aforementioned experience I put in a little scene in this chapter. I laughed. I'm stupid like that.

Anyway! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Part I is going to end soon.

Please leave your thoughts!


	13. I, 10: Last preparations

I

10, Last preparations

~*~

"So, I'll be leaving now." Ino stood up from her cushioned chair, stretched her arms and went over to stand by the table, near the aisle.

"Yep, me too," Tenten said, clapping her hands together in a resolute gesture. "It was surprisingly fun talking to you, Dei."

"Same here, happy go lucky, hmm."

The brown haired girl stood and walked to Ino, who wore a smile on her face and waved to the two persons that remained seated. "See you later!" With this, they walked away and disappeared at the end of the aisle, leaving a pink haired girl and her controversial company behind.

As she walked up the stairs with her blond friend, Tenten finally exhaled a long and deep breath. "Oh god, I can't believe it. I thought it was never going to end!" Halfway along the stairs to the second floor they stopped walking. Ino sat down on a stair step and Tenten leaned on the railing. "It's so weird. I don't get her."

Ino nodded, smile long since disappeared. "I know. Though I think she's just acting. You noticed how quiet she was, right?"

"Yeah, I did, but don't you think she was just uncomfortable with us and him conversing so... normally." Tenten shuddered when she spoke that last word. "That in itself isn't making any sense." Dark thoughts swarmed her head. "I thought it was all done and over with after our sleepover at Temari's. Apparently she didn't mean a thing of what she said."

"That's not true," Ino began. "She meant it. It was just... She was compromised."

"Compromised?" Tenten pushed herself off the wall and let out a frustrated noise, then stood before Ino. "What do you mean, compromised? What's all that about anyway, huh? I know something is going on, all right! So stop keeping it from me and the others!"

The blond held up her hands and shushed her friend. "Keep your voice down, Tenten." When the girl fell silent but never stopped glaring down at her, Ino sighed and thought of what to say. How to explain everything that had been going on? There was so much, and she didn't even know all of it. "Just... calm down and I'll tell you what I know."

After glaring a little more, Tenten gave in and sat down on a stair step beside Ino, with her back against the wall. "Sure, go ahead. I guess it's okay now, since we're not being spied upon anymore."

Ino smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're right. About the sleepover; I believe Sakura meant what she said. It's just, she has feelings for them, and you know who I'm talking about."

Tenten rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I do." How couldn't she? The image of Sakura and _that guy_ making out during Biology wasn't something she'd forget anytime soon. "And that's it? Because if so, I suggest we kick her out of our group immediately."

"No, that's not all." Ino shook her head. "She tried to do what she had told us, remember? Tuesday there wasn't any interaction at all as far as I know of, aside from the occasional verbal jabs. It's what happened two days ago during First break that caused her switch in demeanor."

"You mean when Kankuro called her a whore." Tenten huffed. "Well, wasn't he right on the mark."

Frowning, Ino retorted with slight agitation. "That's not exactly what he said, and you know it. It was all just one big misunderstanding." The blond ignored Tenten's eye roll and continued. "I went after her, _remember_? And if I'm right, Gaara left not much later to tell Sakura about her role in his grand scheme. You know what he told her?"

"That she had to infiltrate the party? Duh. Are you going to tell me something new?"

"Kimimaro suddenly appeared and he made Sakura agree. And so it all started. If Kimimaro hadn't been there, nothing would have happened during Biology."

"I don't know if I'll believe that." Tenten obstinately looked at the wall in front of her.

"Well, you had better, because it's the truth. I was there when he intimidated her into cooperating."

"Intimidated? So she's spineless as well as backstabbing."

"Tenten." Ino looked sideways, her sharp gaze watching the brown haired girl glaring at the opposite wall. "Do I need to mention Sasori?"

Tenten turned her head and locked her eyes with Ino's. "You mean the guy that threatened me when I tried to protect her from him? You mean the guy she made out with in front of my eyes?" Her words held a sharp, cutting edge that betrayed the hurt she felt. Ino was silent. "You mean that guy? Yeah, do mention him. But you can't do that without mentioning her as well."

"_She had to_, Tenten. Don't you understand?" Ino tried to convince the girl she had known for such a long time.

The brown haired girl's glare didn't even waver. "There's always saying no, Ino. You always have a choice."

Ino already felt Tenten's next words coming. She also knew that the foundations of their friendship were shaking.

"She chose to kiss him. She _chose_ to get intimate."

Tenten felt hurt, betrayed. Ino understood her friend's feelings, and she knew that if she was going to defend Sakura again, it would be as if she chose the new girl's side instead of sticking by her long time friend. And even though Ino knew that there was no way that Sakura would willingly hang around with those monsters, she couldn't bring herself to form the words as she stared into Tenten's eyes. Was Sakura really worth risking her already existing friendships over?

No, Ino decided. She wasn't.

"You're right," the blond told the brunette. "She chose to do that herself. She wasn't forced to get intimate." At most, it would have been intimidation.

Tenten's glare lessened. "Exactly. Now then, what _were_ you really trying to convince me about?"

Ino shook her head and stared at the opposite wall. "I guess I just feel bad for her."

The brown haired girl turned her head and copied her friend's movements, then sighed and closed her eyes. "Yeah. Poor, sad little Sakura with her boyfriends." The sarcasm was obvious.

The silence that followed these words lasted for a couple of minutes, and then Ino stood while offering a hand to the still sitting Tenten. "Let's go get Lee."

Tenten smiled and took her friend's hand, letting herself be pulled up. "Let's go do that."

* * *

"Are you okay, Lee? Yes, like that."

"Almost there!"

A couple of laughs and a little bit of effort later, Ino and Tenten had successfully managed to get Lee into the infirmary behind the nurse's office. They were going to visit Gaara, who was said to have woken up. Shizune had personally informed them of that fact and had granted them permission to go and see their injured friend.

Lee was leaning heavily on his crutches and was supported by the two girls who made sure he wouldn't fall anyway. He was ecstatic to be able to see his friend, but the first sight that greeted him was one that sent chills of terror down his spine.

Sasori. And he was awake.

When they entered, Lee's antagonist looked up and gave them a small smile in greeting. "Ah, so we weren't the only ones injured," he said while gesturing towards himself and the person lying next to him; Gaara, who was watching them as well.

Tenten frowned when she laid eyes on Sasori, not liking what she saw. That smile... Why was he smiling at them? Who did the bastard think he was? "Stop smiling," she ground out.

Sasori's smile wavered for a moment. "I'm sorry if it bothers you. It's just that you've been the first persons to visit this place since yesterday." The smile returned. At that moment, Lee felt his strength leave him, a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the redhead. "Why don't you go sit on this bed," he said, pointing to the bed to his right. "Deidara left yesterday and I don't think he's coming back anytime soon."

Just like Tenten, Ino frowned too, but moved Lee over to the bed nonetheless. Tenten sat down next to Lee, watching Sasori like a hawk.

"Um... Ino, isn't it?" As Ino was about to walk over to Gaara, Sasori spoke up and caused her to stop in her tracks. "Would you like to open up the window?"

Ino stared at him incredulously before moving over to the window and opening it. Eying him as if he were some kind of cyclops, she walked back towards Gaara and sat down on the chair beside his bed and Sasori thanked her. Hereafter, it was silent as no one said a word.

Sasori, damn well sensing the tensed atmosphere, decided to speak up. "Aren't you a cheerful bunch."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Tenten burst out. "Why are you acting so nice all of a sudden? Quit pretending to be!" The shocked stare she got at her words only infuriated her more. "Don't act innocent, you ass."

This caused Sasori to frown for the first time since the visitors arrived. "Excuse me?"

"You know damn well what I mean." Tenten's eyes narrowed.

Sasori shook his head lightly. "What did I ever do to you to deserve this kind of treatment?"

"What?" By now, Tenten all out glared at him and was about to yell, had she not been interrupted by Gaara.

"Amnesia," he spoke softly, but everyone heard it.

Once again, Sasori was the one to break the silence that followed. "Apparently I hit my head on a stair step." This evoked a chuckle from Tenten, who could see the humor in such irony. "Glad you find that funny, girl." Sasori himself didn't find it to be that funny at all.

"Oh, it is," Tenten told him, not really looking like she thought something to be funny. "It's funny how you're getting away with all that you've done because of that sorry excuse." She shook her head solemnly, chuckling bitterly. "Amnesia... Unbelievable."

Sasori raised one eyebrow at her reaction. "All that I've done? Again, what have I ever done to get you to dislike me so much?"

"She isn't the only one," Ino added. "You don't remember anything?"

"I remember a lot of things," the redhead told her. "But everything from the last couple of days is hazy, and it hurts my head when I try to focus on what happened."

"Why should we believe you?" Ino asked. "You could just make this up on the spot."

"Are you saying I'm a liar?"

"Perhaps you are."

Sasori frowned a little. "I don't lie. You'll just have to take my word for it."

"As if we would." Tenten huffed, crossing her arms. "You hurt Lee, didn't you."

Lee, who had been quiet up until this point, watched Sasori intently. He hadn't told anyone what had really happened that Tuesday, and no one of the Akatsuki had been punished for what they had done. There really mustn't have been any evidence at all. _I'm keeping up a pretense,_ Lee thought. _Are you doing so as well?_

"I don't think I have," Sasori answered. "I don't remember—"

"You don't remember anything," Tenten cut him off. "How convenient."

The redhead glared at her, loosing his patience. "I didn't do that to him," he gestured towards Lee as he spoke, "And you can't accuse without any evidence. So, unless you can show me a videotape or photo's, I won't believe you." Sasori looked around, watching Ino and Gaara. "Do you have anything to say to me? I don't think I've acted unreasonable to you since you set foot in this room. Have I?" The two were silent, and Sasori turned back to Tenten and Lee. "Have I?"

He didn't get a reaction, and he sighed before lying back down and closing his eyes. "Was I the one that hurt you, Lee?"

Lee was silent. If Sasori had really forgotten the past couple of days, then he truly didn't know what transpired during that First Break. Still, the boy couldn't risk it. "No, you weren't."

Sasori nodded in consent. "There. Does anyone have anything to say to that?"

Tenten narrowed her eyes at him. "Maybe you made him say that."

"I made him...?" Sasori stared at her. "You're being utterly ridiculous. I don't remember anything, so he might as well have said yes and he'd still get away with it. Why would Lee lie to you?" Lee's eyes widened just a little bit and Sasori knew he had hit a mark.

"I never insinuated he was lying because he wanted to." Tenten couldn't believe this guy. There had to be something that she could test him with. She shut her eyes in annoyance. "What did you call me the past week? Nickname."

The redhead blinked. "Um... Brunette? What kind of question is that?" Oh, he knew what kind of question that was. Tomboy was trying to lure him out.

Tenten sighed as she watched him. "Never mind that." Her words earned her a nod and she felt the urge to slap someone. Unfortunately, that someone was lying in the bed in front of her, injured and weak. If she gave in, it would only serve to make her look like a bully, while in reality is was he who was the true menace.

"You know, Lee," Ino called out from her spot beside Gaara, "We came here so you could talk to Gaara, so please do. We can't stay here forever." They all got the underlying message: She didn't want to stay in Sasori's presence for much longer.

"I..." Lee began, but he didn't quite know how to phrase what he wanted to say. His eyes flicked nervously over to Sasori and their gazes accidentally met. "I..." Lee hadn't known that the fearsome Sasori Akasuna could look this harmless. "I'd rather not talk with you near us."

Sasori was silent, blinked, then turned his head slightly to look at the ceiling, his eyes somehow turning sad. "I see. I'm sorry for that."

For some reason, this made Lee feel something he hadn't ever thought possible concerning Sasori. He felt guilty. Maybe Sasori really couldn't remember anything of the past week. That meant that the guy wasn't on bad terms with him at all, yet here they all were, acting with such animosity towards him. Lee felt bad; he had to say something to make it up to him. That was just the kind of person he was.

"You don't need to be sorry," Lee said. "It's not your fault."

Sasori looked at him with curiosity, and a small smile formed on his lips. "Thanks, Lee. Though I don't think I deserve your kind words."

"No, that's not true!" Lee didn't quite know what was going on with him, but he blamed his sense of justice. It wasn't fair that someone with amnesia was treated badly because of something he couldn't even remember doing. What an unfair and hostile world Sasori must find himself in. "You deserve to be treated just like anyone else, and that is with kindness."

"That's really nice of you, Lee."

The smile that Lee received was one he thought to be genuine, and he wasn't aware at all of the unbelieving stares he was receiving from the others. "You seem so surprised, even though you weren't the one at fault at all. It would only be natural for me to apologize for any kind of bad behavior directed at—"

"Lee." When hearing this voice speak, Lee fell silent within a heartbeat. The silence seemed to drag before Gaara continued talking, his voice carrying a cutting edge even though spoken so softly. "Shut up."

No one said a thing. Lee didn't comprehend his friend's sudden jeer. "What do you mean?"

Gaara's eye widened and his eyes locked onto Lee's. "I meant shut up! Don't apologize to him!" It obviously took a lot of effort and gave him a lot of pain, but the redhead sat up, leaning heavily on one arm. When he raised his head, some of his red locks hung in his eyes, eyes that were set in an intimidating glare. "He doesn't deserve your kindness, Lee. Look at what he did to you!"

A sudden jolt of pain shot through Gaara's chest and his eyes shut closed due to the intensity of it. Slightly gasping, he continued speaking after looking up again. "He and those filthy friends of his, their hands dyed red with blood. Your blood, and others'. Many, many others'..." He stopped there, trying to catch his breath.

"Interesting," Sasori commented dryly. "You wouldn't happen to know who shot me, do you?"

"I shot you!" Gaara shouted out vehemently, his little outburst immediately resulting in a hacking coughing fit.

Sasori watched with hidden amusement as the happy go luckies were shocked to the bone. Snapping out of her initial shock, Ino quickly got up and helped Gaara lie down. A quick glance to his right alerted Sasori of the fact that Lee seemed to be the most devastated of all—the boy's current condition may have helped with that appearance. Tenten took notice of this too, and she wasted no time helping the boy up and supporting him as they made their way out of the room, but not before throwing Sasori a threatening glare. Ino followed the two after saying her 'bye' and 'get well soon' to Gaara. She didn't spare Sasori as much as a glance.

The door closed with a loud noise, leaving Gaara and Sasori alone with each other. The slight breeze came in through the now open window and reached Sasori, who sighed contently and leaned back against his pillow. He felt very pleased with what he had just achieved: The confession from his current neighbor and the pretense of amnesia that was accepted as the truth—from the little dork no less. Lee was far too gullible for his own good. Sasori could only love it.

"What are you smiling at?" Agitation laced Gaara's soft voice as he stared to his right, seeing the smile that adorned the older redhead's face.

Sasori's smile widened a fraction. "Your demise."

Gaara didn't say anything, but the glare that formed on his face said more than he would ever be able to put into words.

"The little dork's stupidity. Your friends' confusion," Sasori continued, feeling the intensity of the other guy's glare, but finding himself enjoying the other's anger nonetheless. "Oh, the anticipation of what is yet to come..."

"You're out of your mind," Gaara said flatly.

Sasori laughed softly at this, then glanced over to the side, watching the younger one.

"No, brat. I'm on top of my game."

* * *

"Your room, hmm?"

"Yeah, sure."

Deidara and Sakura walked past 419 and stopped in front of 433, which was Sakura's room. They walked inside, Deidara closing the door behind him and Sakura going over to the window to open it for some fresh air. The sun was shining, it was beautiful outside. The sky was a clear blue, with only a couple of small, puffy white clouds drifting across the horizon.

Sakura took in a deep breath of air, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the pleasant freshness, then flopped down in her big comfy chair. "The weather is fantastic. I wish I had a balcony..."

The blond guy walked over to her, amusedly staring outside. "Hell yeah. Too bad we can't exit the building, hmm."

The pink haired girl nodded slightly. "Uh huh. It's like they're keeping us confined in here..."

Deidara came up behind her. "But being confined in here isn't so much of a torment with me right beside you, hmm?" He leaned forward as Sakura looked up, her eyes meeting his smiling face. "We'll manage to entertain ourselves, won't we."

Sakura laughed a bit when Deidara's long, blond locks tickled her face and she tried to blow them away. Futile attempts, since she only caused more hair to fall down. "We'll manage," she replied with a smile.

The blond brought his hands to her face and cupped her cheeks while watching her, all of her features upside down since he was standing behind her. Their eyes locked and it didn't take long for a blush to form on Sakura's face. Deidara had to smile at this, stroked her soft skin with his thumbs, then leaned down even more to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

"This isn't so much of a disaster as it could have been," Deidara spoke after he had pulled away. "Being locked up inside a school, that is."

"Right," Sakura replied, inwardly chastising herself that of course he hadn't meant that upside down kiss. She willed her blush to go away and Deidara, sensing her moment of discomfort, teasingly blew air in her face. Sakura yelled at this and pushed his head away, which caused him to laugh at her.

The girl turned around in her seat, her facial features set in an indignant expression. Deidara only laughed more when he saw this and ended up falling on the bed and rolling on his back. Sakura, not liking the feeling of being made fun of, stood up and jumped on the bed—on top of the blond. Consequently, Deidara had his breath knocked out of him and a fitting wrestling match followed.

A few minutes later, they both lay on the bed, entangled and exhausted, one feeling triumphant and the other... well, she was too exhausted to care anyway. One of her arms was held behind her back and her legs were almost being crushed under the force of Deidara's. "Fine, you win," Sakura managed to utter, still panting.

"I know I did," Deidara's smug voice retaliated. He let go of her then, and Sakura slowly rolled over onto her back, trying to regain her breath while staring at the ceiling. At some point, an annoyed sigh came from the pink haired girl, causing Deidara to look over.

"Ugh, I'm all sweaty."

Deidara just raised an eyebrow. "And? That's what you get for provoking me while it's warm and sunny to begin with, hmm."

"Stupid."

"Prep."

Sakura shot up and glared at him. "I'm not a prep!"

The blond couldn't help letting an innocent smile show on his face. "You aren't? Oops, my bad—ouch!"

The flat sound of a slap was heard, though Deidara laughed immediately afterwards, making Sakura's glare deepen.

"I can't believe you think of me like that." She faced away from him, sitting cross legged on the bed.

"Aw, don't be like that, hmm." Deidara got up and embraced her from behind. "Come on. Let's just take a shower."

Sakura grudgingly accepted and let him lead her to her little bathroom. He switched the lights on and started putting his shirt off. It was then that something occurred to her. "What are you... Are we going to take a shower... together?"

Her answer was a nod, and Deidara continued with undoing the buttons of his pants.

The girl felt herself heat up when she realized that it wouldn't be long before he would be stark naked in her bathroom. "I—Um, wait! Stop! You can't just, we can't..."

Sakura stopped talking when her brain stopped functioning. She could only stare when Deidara's boxers came down. He then turned around, having finished getting out of every article of clothing he had previously worn. Her world seemed to go in slowmotion—either that, or Deidara was deliberately moving slow. At this thought, Sakura wanted to become angry with him but found that she couldn't. She also wanted to go up to him and hit him again, but she would have to be getting close to him then, and she _so_ did not want that right now.

Suddenly, as Deidara had almost turned around and his private area was coming into view, Sakura forced her eyes to whip up to meet the blond's eyes. It was too late to hide how embarrassed she was, but she would at least prevent herself from staring... at that place.

His clear, light blue eyes were locked onto hers. She could vaguely see that he was smiling—no, he was _smirking_, that jerk—but she didn't dare to confirm this lest she look down too far. It was when she heard him chuckle that she knew something had gone wrong.

Of course. She still had her clothes on. Sakura inwardly screamed and hoped her distress didn't show on her face. She should have undressed when he was undressing. That way, he wouldn't have stared. But no, she just _had_ to watch him strip like some obsessed stalker, and now he was going to watch _her_ undress before him.

Damn this situation. As she stared intensely into Deidara's blue orbs, she desperately tried to think of ways out. She could run away, if it weren't that she'd look so incredibly stupid. She could tell him he could go first, but then he'd think she was a chicken—which she refused to think she was. And then there was always the uncanny option of pretending she had done this many times before and just undress before him like a pro.

The blush that this last thought instigated made Sakura feel even more miserable than before. The longer she stood there in the entrance of her bathroom, the more her distress grew and the harder she felt her heart beat in her throat. And then, the comment was spoken that made all these feelings multiply tenfold.

"Want me to help you, hmm?"

Oh god, she felt like she was going to faint. Truth be told, at that moment her legs began to feel wobbly and unsteady and the world began to move on its own.

"Sakura, relax. No need to pass out, hmm." For some reason, Deidara suddenly stood in front of her, his arms steadying her. "There, much better." He chuckled a bit before reaching behind her and closing the door. He gently led her towards the shower and stopped in front of it.

Sakura took a deep breath, feeling her dizziness disappear while she felt the calm grip that held her arm. She wanted to say things, but she couldn't speak for her voice was failing on her.

All of a sudden, her shirt was lifted over her head, the feel of the air on her naked skin sending her pulse up again. Deidara threw her shirt on the floor and held both of Sakura's arms as he turned her towards him to look into her shocked green eyes. "Sakura. I'm not going to rape you. We're just taking a shower together, hmm. You're going to be fine."

The girl took in another breath. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting the entire situation sink in. When she opened them again, she looked up into Deidara's eyes and proceeded with giving him a hug. She sighed as she buried her face in his neck. "I'm sorry... for acting like, you know..."

She felt his arms encircling her waist as he hugged her back, stroking her back comfortingly. "It's all right."

After a minute or two, Deidara released her and Sakura felt a lot better than before. She still didn't dare look down, but overall she felt fine. Her gaze was pulled towards the blond's right upper arm. A white gauze was put around it, a sight that made the pink haired girl wonder.

"Deidara, your arm... Are you even allowed to shower with that?"

"Hmm?" He blinked, then looked down to his arm. "Oh, yeah, that. I don't think it's supposed to get wet, hmm." He paused, pondering what to do. "Ah well, it's not like I've ever cared about rules before."

Sakura raised one pink eyebrow. "But won't it hurt?" Now that she thought about it, Deidara didn't seem to have any difficulty moving his injured arm around anymore.

"Nah, it won't. I took enough pain killers to last me through the day, hmm."

She just stared. "You're out of your mind."

A cocky smirk appeared on Deidara's face. "I know."

The girl gave up. The Akatsuki didn't appear to be normal people, and if she had to choose, Deidara and Sasori were the weirdest of them.

"Well, the shower's waiting, hmm. Go undress."

This blunt comment would have made Sakura redder than Sasori's hair, if it weren't for Deidara turning around and stepping into the shower before turning it on and closing the curtain. Sakura sighed with relief; she had finally found herself in a more private situation. She silently began to undress by putting off her bra and slipping off her jeans and shoes. Finally, she got out of her panties. She suddenly found herself naked in her bathroom, alone with someone who frightened and attracted her at the same time, who was standing stark naked on the other side of a flimsy curtain.

She was sure she had been standing there, outside the shower, for at least five minutes before she heard Deidara call her in and ask her why she was taking so long.

"Coming," she answered him quickly, though as soon as she had said it, she felt the heavy weight of the meaning of what she said coming down on her. She had to go into the shower. Naked. Alone with him.

After a heavy sigh, Sakura decided that nothing bad was going to happen, since he had promised he wasn't going to rape her and she'd be fine. What was the most that could happen? He'd kiss her? Like they hadn't done that before.

No, Sakura decided, she was acting like a fool. With this, she opened the curtain and stepped into the shower.

Immediately, the heat and steam of the shower met her skin, creating goosebumps. Deidara was standing really close to her, since the shower itself wasn't that big.

"Hello there," Deidara said, smiling down at her. "Took you long enough, hmm."

Sakura stood very still, afraid that if she moved, she'd accidentally touch him in very inappropriate places. Deidara noticed that she was feeling uncomfortable for the umpteenth time, let out a small sigh and pulled her underneath the jet of water coming from the showerhead. "Your turn to become clean, hmm."

The pink haired girl stood rigid, despite the soothing and relaxing temperature of the water. She couldn't help herself. She wanted to feel at ease, but it just didn't work like that. She could want it all she wanted, but her body didn't cooperate.

"Okay, enough is enough." A frown was displayed on Deidara's face as he looked down at her, slightly annoyed. "It was funny at first, but not anymore. Why are you so tense, hmm?"

Sakura hated being put on display like that. She looked away when she answered. "I'm just uncomfortable."

Deidara was silent for a moment. There were many things that went through his mind, many of which had to do with what she had written in her diary. He also had the urge to make snide remarks, also finding their origin in the girl's diary, but he knew that she would crumble where she stood, burst into tears and all. He really didn't want to deal with that. And so, in order to relief Sakura of her distress, Deidara set about making her relax in the best way that he knew of.

He reached out, took hold of the girl's shoulders and pulled her towards him. Sakura was stiff as a board and when she realized what he was most likely about to do, she even tried to resist. Deidara wouldn't have any of it and effortlessly got her to invade his personal bubble. In one smooth motion, the blond entangled his right hand in her hair and moved his left hand around her waist to prevent her from backing away, then moved in for the kill.

A shock went through Sakura's body when Deidara started kissing her. She wanted to move away at first, but she was kept in place. The thought came to her that he wasn't going to let her go, and it was just a kiss anyway, and this made her forget a bit about her tenseness. She started to kiss him back, beginning to enjoy herself, if even a little.

There was something different about this kiss. At a certain point Deidara nibbled on her bottom lip, which caused Sakura to open her mouth, an invitation the blond didn't care to waste. When their tongues met, the girl felt herself getting warmer—and it wasn't just the heat of the shower.

Sakura definitely started to enjoy her stay underneath the shower together with Deidara. The kiss they were sharing had started off as something they had done before, but now it had turned into something much more passionate. Her hands were on his shoulders and Sakura felt herself getting hotter inside the longer the kiss lasted. The heat was making her go insane, and when Deidara's hands left their original places and began traveling over her body, she began to feel the absolute need to get closer. Much more closer...

Without thinking, her arms slipped around Deidara's neck and she stepped nearer to him, pressing herself against him. It was then that she felt it: This _something_ that touched her lower abdomen.

Within a second after she felt it, Sakura's eyes shot open and she hurled herself backwards, pressing herself against the wall. "Wh-what..." She was about to ask just _what_ that had been, but she already knew the answer to that question herself. "Oh god..." Her head leaned back against the wall as she tried to catch her breath.

Deidara was left standing there, looking at the pink haired girl with her flushed face, mumbling things to herself. He sighed wearily. It had just been getting real cozy together, and then this happened. "You must be very shocked and all," he began, feeling frustrated and tired at the same time, "But I am a guy, and I'm sure you know there's a fundamental difference between men and women, hmm."

Sakura ignored him, having closed her eyes and trying to shut the world out so that she could calm down. However, his hands on her shoulders jolted her back to reality. Her green irises stared into his light blue ones. She took a deep breath and told him what was on her mind. "I'm not ready for this."

"Not ready for what?" Deidara retaliated instantly. "Kissing, hmm? Because really, that was all we were doing."

_Is that really true?_ Sakura asked herself, but she didn't dare say it out loud. That kiss had been very different from what they had done before. Who knew what it would have led to.

She swallowed thickly. She didn't know what to do, what to feel. Apparently she was supposed to be comfortable when kissing a guy naked underneath the shower, if Deidara's expression could clue her in. He seemed a little annoyed or frustrated, so she had definitely done something wrong, or at least something she wasn't supposed to do.

"I'm sorry." Sakura hoped he would accept her meager apology, because it was all she felt like she could offer right now.

Deidara huffed, then came closer to her. Sakura's eyes widened as she was about to back away—but she was already standing with her back against the wall. How she wished she could just disappear.

To her surprise, Deidara's arms went around her body and pulled her flush against him in a tight embrace. As much as she appreciated the gesture, this also meant that she was once again feeling _every inch_ of his body, including parts she felt very self conscious about. She once again became rigid.

This time, Deidara knew immediately what was bothering the girl and he was prepared with what to say.

"Sakura." The gentle, soft way he said her name was enough reason for the uncomfortable, blushing girl to listen to him. "I know what a girl looks like. Your long eyelashes, your soft curves, small waist, soft skin, hmm... Don't take this the wrong way, but you've got nothing other girls don't have."

Sakura frowned lightly. "And I guess you've got _so much_ experience..."

"I've been in situations before, yeah."

"Underneath showers?"

"A couple of times, hmm. But those girls weren't as skittish as you are." The blond laughed a bit as he seemed to remember things. "If anything, they weren't ashamed to show themselves, or ashamed to look at me for that matter."

Those were not the best things to say. "Well," Sakura said, turning her head to look away, "I'm sorry I'm not like the others."

Deidara's mouth curled into a slight smile. "That's not what I meant, Sakura. What I _did _mean, is that however much I appreciate your... innocence, I'd like you to let go of your reservations. You know what a guy looks like. I've got nothing other guys don't have." As if to make a point, his embrace tightened a bit more, forcing Sakura to feel things she really didn't want to feel.

Sakura let out a soft, miserable noise, resulting in Deidara stroking her back and shushing her, telling her things were all right.

"I don't want all this..."

"All this what, hmm?"

"This..." Sakura really hated that she was so damn quick to blush. "This... being naked and all... I'm uncomfortable."

"So I noticed, hmm." And he didn't like it one bit. "I suppose there's nothing I can do?" His embrace loosened, but to his delight Sakura didn't move away. He removed his arms entirely, only letting his hands rest on her waist. The reaction he got was Sakura putting her arms around his neck. He could feel her heart beat racing against his chest, and her arms were holding on tightly around his neck; both were signs that she was probably nervous as hell, but Deidara was pleased. At least it meant she was trying to ignore her discomfort in order to make him a little happier.

"That's more like it, hmm." Deidara turned his head a bit, the new position allowing him to plant a kiss in Sakura's hair; a sign of his appreciation. He knew from her diary that she had never been with a guy before, let alone be naked in the same confinements with a guy like the two of them were now.

Eventually, over the course of minutes, Sakura began to relax more and more. Deidara didn't do anything other than hold her against him. He considered putting the shower off since they weren't really using it, but figured that the bill was on the school anyway, so he didn't care.

At a certain point in time, Deidara felt soft kisses in his neck. Smiling to himself, he lowered his shoulder and tilted his head so the girl had more skin within reach. The butterfly kisses turned into real kisses, soft strokes turned into gentle, deliberate touches and in the end they were kissing passionately once again. This time it was without reservations.

When they left the bathroom, Deidara pulled Sakura with him and they fell on the bed together. They laughed, Sakura pushing the blond away when he tried to pull her closer, Deidara breaking her futile attempts with ease and attacking her neck, leaving hickeys where he went. By the end of the afternoon, also thanks to the warm weather that made them feel lazy, they both fell asleep on the bed sheets, resting in each other's arms.

~*~

* * *

This took me a long time to write. My exams are coming up, so the earliest I'll update will probably be in June.

Woah, this chapter had a lot of DeiSaku. I hope I've pleased at least some of you with this. There's only one chapter to go for part I, so if there's any character you'd like to see one last time, or if there's still something you'd like to see happening don't hesitate to ask! --except rabid smut. I'm sorry folks, but _not quite yet~_ Far too early, story-wise--

Part II will start after the next chapter. If you've got any suggestions for my writing style, mistakes I might make and stuff, I'd appreciate the feedback.


	14. I, 11: Before it gets any better

_I scraped my knees when I was praying_  
_and found a demon in my safest haven_  
_Seems like it's getting harder to believe in anything_  
_than just to get lost in all my selfish thoughts_

* * *

I

14, We're headed for a cliff...

That Friday evening, after an exciting and eventful day, Sakura woke up in her bed. The sky outside was nearly dark; the slightest bit a blue was still showing itself. The lights in her room were out, but Sakura didn't need those to know that lying beside her in her bed was none other than Deidara.

The blond appeared to be in deep sleep and didn't react when the girl shifted a little to sit up slowly. She didn't want to wake him, so Sakura carefully made her way out of bed and took care of making as little noise as possible. When she put on the dim light of a lamp on her nightstand, the guy in her bed groaned softly before turning over to his side. Other than that, he didn't do anything.

Relieved, Sakura went on to what she initially meant to do by getting out of bed: Write in her diary. So, first things first, she had to find it. This in itself was kind of weird, since she was sure she had left it in plain sight. Quietly, the girl moved around her room and started her search.

The drawers in her nightstand turned out negative, it wasn't in her closet, not somewhere in the bathroom—though she couldn't remember _ever_ having brought it there—and the only book underneath her bed was the ominous Black Book. It seemed ridiculous to her, but since she had to clear all possibilities she looked anyway, so she searched through her cushioned chair. Nothing there. Sakura even searched through her pile of school books, but it wasn't there either, or in her bag for that matter. Exasperated, the tired girl softly went back to the bed, careful not to wake the still sleeping Deidara.

_How could I have lost it? It's not like it just walked off on its own._ All kinds of thoughts swirled through Sakura's head as she glanced through her room. Strangely enough, the pen she used to write in her diary was lying atop of her nightstand. It was almost like... _Someone took it._

The thought made Sakura's eyes widen. It couldn't be... Who would do that? It was a diary, _her_ diary! Not only did she pour her heart into it, it also contained a lot of information about what had happened that past Wednesday.

It was then that realization dawned on her. _No way._ Someone who had suspected she knew things had searched through her room and had taken her diary. It was the only possible explanation.

Sakura's heart beat harshly in her throat and she felt herself becoming nauseous. "No..." she whispered softly. "Where is it? It can't be gone... Oh god..."

After a couple of minutes Sakura decided that thinking up the worst scenarios wasn't doing her any good, so she tried to chase her nerves and fears away and lay down under the covers of the bed once again. She reached out towards the dim lamp on her nightstand and turned the light off. As she lay down again, she breathed in deeply, calming herself down. After a last glance at the still and evenly breathing Deidara, she finally closed her eyes.

When Sakura's breathing had slowed and evened, Deidara opened his eyes slightly. _It seems someone is feeling pressure... hmm._

* * *

Saturday 21st

Sakura stood in front of the door that lead to the infirmary. Deidara had stayed the entire night and had left in the morning, telling her she should go and see Sasori. She thought she had seen a hint of a sardonic grin on the blond's face, but hadn't thought much of it so she had agreed, albeit hesitantly. She hadn't seen Sasori since that Wednesday evening and didn't know how he'd react to her. Then again, he didn't know she had been the one to cause his misery, so it should be all right.

She had eaten breakfast in the cafeteria and met up with Ino, who had asked her if she wanted to go swimming tomorrow since it promised to be another beautiful, warm and sunny day. Sakura had accepted the offer; whatever investigation the teachers had been running had ended, so the students were allowed to roam all over the terrain again.

And now, now she was standing in front of the door that formed the only barrier between her and Sasori. Going on was as simple as moving the doorknob. So, if this were true, then why was it so hard to make that small movement?

Sakura stood there a little longer. Only when several minutes had passed, did she finally begin the incredulously easy task of opening the door. The white door opened slowly and Sakura stepped inside at a snail's pace. The sound the door made when it closed, felt like she was being trapped in a cage.

Struggling not to let her nerves show, Sakura turned around and faced two redheads; one being asleep, the other staring at her intently. Sasori was the one awake. As she looked at him, or rather at the only visible part of his body, his face, Sakura felt terribly uneasy. He was watching in a way as if he didn't know how to look at her, thus choosing to go with a blank expression.

The pink haired girl stepped forward, seating herself on the unoccupied bed next to Sasori. "So," she spoke after a few moments. "How are you feeling?" As soon as she had said it, she dearly hoped he wasn't going to go all moody on her and retort with a witty comeback.

"I'm... fine." Sasori sure didn't sound convincing. If anything, his voice carried more of frustration.

"Oh", Sakura mouthed. She didn't know what to say. What was there to say to that kind of answer? By the way he spoke, it didn't seem like he wanted to go into detail.

"So, um..." The girl started, feeling unsure of herself. "You..." She stared at her knees, a quick shudder going through her, causing goosebumps to appear on her arms.

"You're feeling uncomfortable." It was a statement coming from Sasori, not so much an inquiry.

Sakura felt like it didn't really matter if she dropped the act, so she just nodded at him and murmured a soft: "Yes, I do."

She didn't say anything more and Sasori was left continuing to watch her. "Why is that? Because of me? If you didn't want to see me, you shouldn't have come. No one's forcing you." And then, after a few more seconds, "Or is there? Not that it'd matter. Just leave if you'll only continue on like this." The redhead lay back down on his bed, with his head comfortably on his pillow, then closed his eyes. He didn't say anything else and just waited until Sakura left.

But she didn't. No matter how distraught Sakura felt when hearing Sasori's harsh words, she didn't move and just sat still on the bed, eyes averted. "No one's forcing me," she said eventually.

Sasori opened his brown eyes and watched her from the corners of his eyes. Though Sakura didn't say anything more, he knew there was more to her words than what was to be heard. She came because she wanted to. Because she wanted to see him, for him, with no other objective. The redhead's eyes wandered away from the girl and moved to the ceiling while he thought about the diary that was lying underneath his bed. Judging from the way she was acting around him, there was no doubt in his mind that Sakura felt very conscious of the fact that she was the one that put him in this place, practically immobile in his bed. She didn't know he knew, and other than that there wasn't any good reason why he'd be acting cold towards her. Sasori realized his attitude had better change.

"Never mind me. I'm sorry for telling you that." The bed ridden guy sighed. "I guess I'm just a little agitated from, oh, I don't know... Perhaps because I can't walk, because I'm dependent on people I dislike, or because I've rarely got any visitors and the ones that do, got an obvious issue with me. Other than that, I'm just fine." He looked sideways and noticed Sakura's green stare. In her gaze, he thought he saw something along the likes of pity and he scowled. "Stop that. I don't want your pity."

Sakura shook her head. "I'm not pitying you. I'm just sad. I never..." She swallowed her words. Almost crossed the line there. _"I never would have wanted this to happen to you."_ Those words were wrong on so many levels she couldn't even begin to imagine how Sasori would've reacted. Instead of finishing her sentence, she left it open and it's possible meaning unknown.

However, Sasori was very much aware of what she had been about to say. The silence that followed only made it more obvious.

"I'll get you something to drink," Sakura said suddenly, standing up. "Is there anything else you want?"

"...A sandwich."

"Right. I'll be back soon." With this, Sakura swiftly made her way out of the room.

As soon as the pink haired girl had left, Sasori sat up and bent over the bed for as far as he could and picked the diary up. Lying down again, he opened the diary and went to the pages until he reached the girl's last entry. Wednesday, March 18th. Those pages possibly contained the answer to his questions about her behavior. Skimming the content for the umpteenth time since he had gotten the book in his possession, he realized that yes, the answers were all there. The silence and discomfort...

_'__I think it's about clear now that I'm feeling so guilty that it's making me ill...'_

The guilt was tearing her apart.

_'S__asori said he hates liars... He doesn't know it yet... And I hope he never will... I think I might be the biggest liar on earth... From now on, I'm sure I'll fear him for the rest of my days. Why? Because if he ever found out, my life would be over.'_

She feared him. She was afraid he'd find out the truth and she feared his reaction. _As she should_, Sasori thought as he read the sentences over and over again. She had every right to be afraid. But for now he would be nice for her. She was getting him food and drinks. She cared for him still, and until he was ordered otherwise, there was no need to crush that fondness prematurely.

When Sakura returned, she was carrying a tray with two sandwiches and a big bottle filled with orange juice. Sasori made sure to hide the diary underneath his blanket and gave the girl a small, genuine smile. "Welcome back, pretty. Came to heal me?"

Sakura quickly sensed the positive change in atmosphere, relaxed her posture and smiled back at him. "Yes I have. I'm going to heal you with this magic food." Sasori chuckled lightly and took the tray from her as she sat down on the bed next to him while letting out a relieved sigh.

With the first bite that was swallowed, his stomach's immediate response was a loud growl. Surprised, Sasori stared down at where his stomach was supposed to be underneath the blanket as he heard Sakura begin to laugh. Hmm... he hadn't realized he had been _this_ hungry.

"I thought you were taken care of by Tsunade," Sakura uttered when she had recovered from her little laughing fit.

"I suppose I am," the redhead replied dryly. "If checking in every evening counts as 'taking care of'. She lets me eat and drink something, helps me on my way to the toilet and then leaves." He took a bite from his sandwich before continuing. "Rather worthless if you ask me."

Sakura nodded slightly. "Maybe she's just busy with stuff."

"What could be more important than injured, bed ridden students who can't take care of themselves on their own?" Sasori rolled his eyes, taking another bite. "She's the school nurse. It's her job to look after us, she ought to take care of it if she's 'too busy'."

"Adults..." Sakura murmured, as if that explained everything. "I can't believe we'll become one someday, too."

"I plan to do better than them," Sasori said. "I'll exceed everyone's expectations and in the end, they'll all look up to me."

A look of remembrance flickered into Sakura's eyes. "Oh yeah, you, narcissist. Can't believe I almost forgot."

"I'm not a narcissist," Sasori chided. "I'm just better than everyone else."

"So you are a narcissist," Sakura replied smoothly.

"No, I'm not."

"Are too."

Sasori looked at Sakura pointedly. "You don't want to become an adult? I've got good news for you: You'll never grow up if our previous conversation is any indication as to your maturity."

"Very funny," the pink haired girl told him. "Hey, you're going to eat the other sandwich too?"

"I'm not sharing, if that's what you're after." Sasori smirked as he finished his first sandwich and proceeded with the next one. "Bon appetit," he said as he took the first bite.

Sakura just looked at him with a growing feeling of hunger, but she didn't dare to snatch the sandwich away from the redhead. He most likely needed it more than she did anyway. She could always get one for herself later.

It didn't take long for Sasori to finish his second sandwich. He licked his fingers clean afterwards, feeling thoroughly satisfied, and only then did he notice Sakura staring at him. "Hey," he said, taking his ring finger out of his mouth. "You don't honestly want that sandwich back, right?"

The girl blinked and sat straight up. "No! Of course not!" At the raised eyebrow she got from the redhead, Sakura couldn't help but blush self consciously. Why the hell had she been staring at him licking his fingers? Moreover, he caught her in the act... So embarrassing.

"Good. I wasn't about to return it to you anyway." After all, that would involve puking it out, and as much as he wanted to see Sakura distressed, puking just wouldn't do. Far too gross, and uncomfortable on his part as well.

Diverting his thoughts elsewhere to more pleasant things, Sasori arrived at the blushing Sakura sitting four feet away from him. What was she blushing for? Because she was staring at him? Like Sasori had never had to deal with that before.

In a flash, an idea came to him. He smiled at the thought, turning his head to look at Sakura. As soon as she caught his gaze and saw his smile, she _knew_ something was up. Especially when he beckoned her with his finger to come over, some alarm bells went off inside her mind. But, on second thought, the last time she had seen him, she had been very intimate with him, so why would she shy away now? This was what made her move towards him, eyes locked onto his. Sasori gently pulled her down on his bed until she sat next to him with not much room to spare.

Sakura knew what was coming. She could almost feel it in her blood. Soon, that which she knew was coming, happened. Sasori's hand cupped one of her cheeks and guided her face around until she met his eyes again. When she saw him lean in and she felt a pair of warm lips on her own, Sakura automatically closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss.

Before long, Sakura's arms had gone around the redhead's neck while Sasori held the girl close to him by wounding his arms around her back. Both lost themselves in the deepened kiss. Sasori leaned back against the wall behind him, maneuvering Sakura so that she was straddling him. The pink haired girl didn't mind. In fact, she didn't mind much of anything as long as Sasori continued to hold her close to him, securely against his chest while never breaking their kiss.

* * *

Sunday 22nd

"Get a move on, lazy girl! You're getting behind!"

"No way, Ino! And I'm not lazy!"

"Yeah, right!" Ino laughed and ran along towards their destination: The lake. The weather was just about perfect with a warm temperature, cloudless sky and a hot, bright, burning sun shining down on them. Trees were reduced to a blur as Sakura and Ino ran past them, making their way downhill while being careful not to trip over roots and rocks.

"You got all your stuff with you, don't you, Sakura?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I've got it all packed."

"Good, because we aren't going to go back now!

Before long they burst through the line of trees and down the slope that gave way for the small beach. All sides of the sandy terrain were lined with trees, except the part where the waves of the lake crept up the shore. They were alone with the two of them, which Ino said to be only logical as she claimed that she had discovered this place on her own and no one else knew where it was.

"All alone! Yes!" Ino shouted out loud, dropping her bag on the sandy ground and rummaging through it to find a large towel. Once found, she spread it out along the sand and made it flat before plopping down and sighing contently. "I love the weather, I love this place, and we are finally getting some time together. This day can't go wrong anymore."

"If you say so," Sakura commented, not entirely sure herself but taking her friend's word for it anyway. She dropped her stuff next to Ino and unpacked her things. When she was done, she sat down on her own towel and looked up to the sun with a hand shielding her eyes. "The weather really is great, though."

"Absolutely." Ino kept lying there for a couple more minutes, simply enjoying the warmth, before sitting up and starting to undress. "Let's go swimming!"

Sakura nodded, feeling like she could use some refreshment as well. Knowing they would probably be going into the water when she had been packing her stuff in her room, she had chosen to put on her bikini underneath her clothes so she wouldn't have to end up naked on the beach. However, Ino didn't seem to have any such reservations and simply got out of her clothes to put her bikini on.

"You're such a prude, Sakura!" Ino laughed as Sakura turned crimson but didn't deny the accusation. "Well, whatever. Come on, the water's waiting!" With this, the blond heaved the pink haired girl up, pulled her into the water and consequently screamed when her body had to face the stark change of temperature.

"What did you expect," Sakura let out as she gradually adjusted to the water. "That, after only one week of warm weather, the water would be warmed up too?"

"I don't care!" Ino yelled, purposefully splashing the water up in some sick, tormented way of adjusting to the relatively cold droplets. "And we're not getting out!"

"Stop splashing!" The pink haired girl tried to shield herself from the cold attack, but it was in vain. Especially since Ino started splashing even harder this time, now specifically aiming for her friend. "No, stop!" However, even Sakura couldn't help but laugh as she started to retaliate. Soon, an all out water war had started between them that wasn't about to end for some time to come.

Eventually though, they got out of the water and collapsed on their towels, having had enough for now. Sakura heaved a happy sigh as she felt the sun shine its warms rays down on her body, effectively drying her wet, red bikini that clung to her skin. "Ino..." the girl started, never opening her eyes. "You were actually waiting to spend some time with me?"

"Hm?" Ino muttered, snapping out of her daze. "Oh, yeah, I was."

"...Thanks."

Ino raised an eyebrow while looking at the sky. "Why are you thanking me for that? Ever since Wednesday, I've only spoken with you on occasion, and nothing too personal either."

Sakura smiled, happy that she had really found a friend in Ino. The others hadn't tried to seek contact with her...

"Plus, there are some things I wanted to discuss with you."

That put a slight damper on Sakura's mood. "Is something bad going on?

"Perhaps..." Ino said vaguely. "I guess I'll cut straight to the case. I know we've had this conversation before, but I'm asking again because, well... A lot of things have happened this past week, and you know it too."

Sakura took a deep breath. "Uh huh." She had a bad feeling about where this was headed...

"People have started to doubt you, so I have to ask. And don't get all worried there, because I've defended you. I know you're not like anything they say." A small silence ensued before Ino continued. "Do you like them? And you know who I'm talking about."

She felt her heart rate go up and a queasy feeling settle in her stomach. She didn't want to lie to Ino, but if she did, she wouldn't loose her trust. If she told her the truth, maybe Ino would abandon her, just like the others apparently had. Sakura definitely felt the pressure weighing down on her. She knew she had to say something quickly. She couldn't really say nothing, could she? Perhaps Ino would understand the way she felt...

"Ino... I don't want to lie to you..."

"I'm glad you don't," Ino responded, sounding genuinely happy with it. "Now, go on. I want to hear your answer."

"But what if that answer isn't what you think it is?"

"I'll take it. Besides, I've already got an idea as to what it is... Come on, tell me, Sakura."

Sakura was silent for some time until she had mustered up the courage to say it. She had only ever written it down in her diary, and to top it off, that thing was missing. Who knew what psycho was reading it right now. Well, if a random stranger knew her true feelings, it surely couldn't be that bad to tell her best friend.

"I like them." Her voice was soft, as if afraid that anyone was listening in on them.

Ino was silent for awhile. "Well, I kinda expected it anyway," she spoke up. "So... Like them a lot, a little bit, a humongous lot... Love?"

"...I don't know," Sakura admitted earnestly. "I'm kinda afraid of them too... You know, with everything I've seen of them, I've experienced. One moment I'm thinking they're just such a wrong kind of people to hang out with, and then at other times they're just so sweet and nice... And I can't tell the difference between faking or honestly meaning it. But I do like them, despite these things, though I can't place the feeling exactly."

"Right. So you like them, despite their bad qualities. That's really getting close to 'love', you know." Inwardly, Ino couldn't help but shake her head at the girl lying next to her. What an ordeal that girl had gotten herself into... Sakura didn't react to her words, so Ino just went on. "The others won't accept that, though. And I don't want to be mean to you or anything, but it is likely that Deidara and Sasori mean nothing of what they do and say. Honestly, I think they're just playing with you."

"I don't want to like them," Sakura began quietly, trying to prevent her voice from breaking. "I really don't... And I don't want to be played with!"

Ino sat up and directed her eyes at Sakura now, not having expected this sudden outburst. "Sakura..."

"I hate this feelings! I don't want them! I wish they'd just go away and leave me alone... Stupid, annoying feelings... They're costing me everything I thought I had..." Sakura sat up too and looked at Ino with her emerald eyes, on the verge of crying. "I want to stay with you. I know you can provide me with real friendships, with real feelings. You're not fake, not manipulative, you don't hurt people simply because you can..."

By now, Ino had come over to Sakura and had her arms around the girl in a tight embrace. "Let it all out, girl, you really need to relieve some stress..."

"Thank you," Sakura said, finally feeling the first tears make their way down her cheeks. "Thank you for being so kind to me. I really don't know what to do anymore. Really, it all started last Wednesday, and those stupid..."

"I know, I know. Gaara has a one-track mind like that sometimes, lets himself be led by his emotions." Ino rubbed Sakura's back soothingly, trying to comfort her. "So you don't want to be with them?"

Sakura shook her head. "No, I don't want to. But I feel like I have to, or else they'll find out it was me who... And then they'll go after you too, and I don't want that. God... I hate Gaara right now, and _that guy_ too. But it isn't even... If Lee had never... He shouldn't have protected me. Now he's hurt, Gaara's hurt, and Deidara and Sasori and all those other people... And if they ever find out, then you will, and I... But I don't care about myself. I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"Hush, Sakura. We won't get hurt..." Ino was a little shocked. She hadn't known Sakura had this much on her mind. It was like she was trying to protect them all by doing things she actually didn't want to do, but was almost forced to do by the very same people that looked down on her precisely because she did what was in their best interest. Now, how fucked up was that?

"I won't leave you alone, Sakura," Ino said, meaning every last word.

* * *

A large part of the midday had passed by the time Ino and Sakura's tranquil peace was disturbed by other people. And it wasn't like those intruding people were persons they had rather not see. No, it was more like the other way around. Kiba, Kankuro, Shikamaru and Tenten appeared between the line of trees and when they spotted Sakura and Ino, they quickly made their way down the slope to meet up with them.

Sakura was glad to see that they were all okay. She had heard from Ino that at a certain point, Kiba had gone downstairs to join the 'party' as well, so she had feared he might have gotten hurt. Luckily that did not seem to be the case. Relieved to see them all in good health, the girl welcomed them all with a smile, a smile that was returned by nearly all of them.

Tenten was glaring at her, and not subtly either.

"Hey, y'all!" Ino greeted them. "I didn't know you were going to the beach today."

"I wasn't," Kankuro retorted. "Shikamaru dragged me along."

"Sure, blame me," was heard from the guy with a spiky ponytail, making Kankuro laugh and slap him on the back.

"What is _she_ doing here?"

This sentence was spoken with such malice that Kankuro immediately stopped with laughing and everyone turned to watch the one who had spoken: Tenten. The brunette had been firing the question at Ino, who was watching her carefully. To Sakura, it was the first time she had encountered Tenten this pissed off and she wondered why she had the feeling that it was her who was the cause of the girl's anger.

"I've gone swimming with her," Ino said slowly, earning herself a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

"And _why_ would you go swimming with her?"

Okay, Sakura sensed that something was absolutely wrong. Tenten had an obvious problem with her, and she wanted to know why. "_She_ is sitting right here," she began with a small wave of her arm, trying to get the brunette's attention.

"Was I talking to you?"

Shocked, Sakura let her arm drop at her side. What was wrong with Tenten? "Um, no, but I think you're acting a little unreasonable towards—"

"Shut up! You know nothing." Tenten then directed her glare at Ino again. "Why are you hanging out with her? I thought we had talked about this."

"Tenten," Sakura's voice cut through the brown haired girl's tirade. "Why are you acting like this? We are friends, of course we can go swimming together! Aren't we friends either?"

That seemed to be the final drop that sent Tenten over the edge. "What?" This one word was spoken sharply and she turned around, facing Sakura with a venomous look in her dark eyes. "We, friends?" The soft nod Sakura gave her only served to fuel her anger more. "We are not friends, Sakura! I may have liked you for some time, I may even have considered you a possible friend, but not anymore."

"Why not?" Sakura asked, frowning. "What did I do to you? I thought we were getting along."

"Well, you thought wrong." Tenten stood in front of Sakura, glowering down at the girl sitting on the towel in the sand who seemed so confused. "As if you don't know. Remember what you said last Monday?"

The pink haired girl shook her head slightly. "I said a lot of things..." Oops, wrong thing to say. That realization hit down hard when she saw Tenten's face contort.

"You _liar_." Tenten had to resist the urge to spit in front of her. "All you say are lies. Everything you do is fake. I can't believe I ever even _tried_ to protect you..." The small laugh she emitted after this was humorless and bitter. "You didn't even mind. You were always perfectly fine with them hitting on you, weren't you?"

The guys were silent, not daring to intervene. They knew how Tenten could get, and therefore knew better than to meddle with something that wasn't their business. The brunette was nice towards towards those she knew and liked, but to others she wasn't afraid to show her rougher side. It was no wonder she was known as a tomboy, though she hated being called that nickname.

Sakura, feeling belittled and driven into a corner, decided to stand up so she was level eyed with Tenten. "No," she began quietly. "No, I wasn't fine with it. You obviously don't know the whole story."

"I don't need to know all trivial little details," Tenten spat viciously. "I know enough."

"No, you don't!" Sakura really didn't feel the need to yell, but it bugged her that she wasn't getting through to the other girl. "I was forced to—"

"Kiss him?" the brown haired girl asked as though asking a rhetorical question. Sakura just stared; that wasn't what she was getting at. "Or no," Tenten continued, gripping her own arms tightly. "It was more like making out in front of me with the guy I possibly hate most." At the either surprised or confused blink she got from Sakura, she gritted her teeth. "Of everyone you could have succumbed to... The school's filled with guys for you to pick from. Why did you have to go to _them_? Huh?"

Sakura sighed, whether it was out of frustration or tiredness, she didn't know. She _did_ know that what she had feared would happen, was now actually happening. "It wasn't like I had much of a choice..."

"Why should I believe you? You liar. You enjoy being with them and you're choosing to keep on going to them even though you know what kind of people they are. Drop the innocent act already." At that moment a memory came back to Tenten. She had said something along the lines of that last sentence to a certain other person as well... At the thought, a short laugh escaped her lips. "You know, you're actually a perfect match. And then I mean Sasori and you. Both such actors... all fake."

"Don't compare me to him."

"You don't feel flattered? What a shame. If only he could hear this..."

"Stop it, Tenten."

"Oh, you're choosing her side, Ino?"

This was the moment where the guys finally made a move. Kiba took a hold of Tenten, who seemed about ready to jump at the other two. Kankuro pulled Sakura back and Shikamaru took hold of Ino's arm, since she had been advancing on Tenten. "This would be enough," Shikamaru reprimanded the girls. He then sighed wearily. "Guys having to stop a cat fight. Not cool."

Tenten wrenched herself out of Kiba's grip, then punched him in his arm. "Don't ever do that again."

"Ouch! Jeez..."

"Ino," Tenten started while giving the blond girl a halfhearted glare. "I'll talk to you later, right?" She couldn't believe Ino had taken Sakura's side after all. She wouldn't believe it. Ino and her had been friends since the first day they had met, almost two years ago. There was no way it could all be over just like this.

The blond nodded softly. "Yeah, we'll talk later. Shikamaru, let me go, now."

The guys, along with Tenten, went up the slope and disappeared between the trees. Sakura and Ino didn't speak much for the rest of the remaining hour they spent at the beach. When it was almost six o'clock, they went to the cafeteria to have dinner. While they were eating, Ino reassured Sakura that even if the rest of their group wouldn't want her with them anymore, she would still be her friend. The gentle, soft, yet firm way the words were spoken, made Sakura believe them. At least she wouldn't loose everybody.

* * *

_Trudging along in the desert, two figures appeared, making their way to the Hidden Sand Village. One of them led the way, being the one that had much more experience in this part of the world, though he had much rather just forget about that part of his life. The people that resembled that period of his life were already dead to him anyway._

After taking the entire evening to read to get her mind off of troubling thoughts, Sakura had been rather successful in creating a diversion for her mind—until now. The story had mostly focused about Naruto and a guy named Sasuke, and their struggle together had intrigued her a lot. Soon after the last battle had ended, there had been a time skip covering about three years. Many things had changed meanwhile: Characters had developed, had grown, matured. Old foes had become friends, and new foes were introduced.

But these new people... She had just begun reading that part, and already a bad feeling was settling in her stomach. It wasn't so much the text that put her off. No, the text was rather vague and not very descriptive. Then again, that wasn't necessary when a small illustration was included.

Two figures were seen walking in the desert, just like the story said. One of the figures appeared to be an old male who was hunched over and almost seemed to drag himself forward. A hat was perched on his head so she couldn't see his features, but she was pretty sure he was old and wrinkly. The cloak he wore was weird: It was black with white rimmed, red clouds printed on it. The other person seemed to be much younger. He wore a similar cloak and hat, but there was one thing that unnerved her. As Sakura looked at the little picture, she could easily make out long blond hair that covered the left side of the person's face.

She knew someone with such hair, and frankly, it wouldn't be the first time that someone she knew appeared in this weird black book of hers. But, Sakura chastised herself, she shouldn't jump to conclusions like that. And so she read on.

"_My jutsu are all works of art... so I brought along my specialty, hmm. After all, our opponent... is the One Tails." With this, the young man's hand trailed over to the pouch filled with clay, the mouth on said hand opening, the tongue coming out eagerly. _

_A little more ahead of them, the guards stationed near the entrance of the Sand Village noticed the two sinister figures coming towards them. They informed their chief of operation, Juura, who was already very much aware of this fact. By the time the two males reached the entrance, every single guard lay dead at their feet. "Well done," the hunched over figure began. "Do you remember me?" _

"_Yes sir!" Juura went through his knees and knelt before his superior. "You are Sasori." _

_Now this was cleared up, the three of them moved to the other end of the entrance, from where they had an overview of the village. A mouth that was chewing clay, spit the substance out whereafter the hand to which the mouth belonged to began to knead the clay into a figurine that resembled a bird. The bird was thrown to the ground and with one hand signal, the small figurine transformed into a huge creature. "I'll attack the village from above," the younger male said before removing his hat and jumping on top of the bird. "What do you think of my artistic creation, hmm?" _

"_Just don't make me wait," came the short reply from the other. _

Sakura felt that her feeling had been partly correct: That young guy was definitely someone resembling Deidara. However, that old guy was supposed to be Sasori? He looked like some kind of monster, that surely couldn't be right.

As she read on, the girl let her thoughts wonder. No matter how much she tried to avoid thinking about it, because the whole reason she started reading in the first place was so that she'd be able to forget her own situation for a moment, in the end she couldn't keep the thoughts from entering her mind.

_The old woman suddenly jumped off the building and landed on the ground with unexpected agility. "It's been a while since... I've taken care of my adorable grandchild." _

Sasori had been acting so strange the previous day, especially in the beginning of their meeting. It was almost like he was... accusing her of something. Did he know? No, that couldn't be. But then, her diary was missing. Maybe Sasori had somehow gotten a hold of it... But no, that would really be such a random coincidence. The odds were impossible. He seemed to have gone back to his old self when she had returned with food and something to drink. She was making things up in her mind, she was being ridiculous. Everyone was allowed a temper tantrum every once in a while, so logically, even Sasori was sometimes out of his hum.

_The three clones Kisame created each encased respectively Neji, Lee and Tenten in a water sphere. It didn't take long for the three captured ninja to realize there was no escape. "...Can't breathe..." was the last thought that went through Tenten's head. _

Tenten... The girl hated her, Sakura was pretty sure about that. There was only one rectification for this in her mind: The real story of what happened wasn't told to the others. Out of everyone else, it would appear only Ino knew, and therefore only Ino would understand the complicity of the situation. But why weren't the others told? And if she had known, would Tenten have been more forgiving? Sakura remembered that particular Biology lesson. Sasori had been so annoying, ignoring her like that. And then... he had gone from uncaring to super interested from one second to the next.

Now she thought about it more, Tenten had seemed really disdained and confused. Judging from the words she had spoken, she probably had her breath knocked out of her when she saw... Well, she supposed it was no wonder. From what she knew about it, she and Sasori didn't like each other one bit. He had threatened her at a certain point, hadn't he? And then there she was, someone who was supposed to be her friend, and she kissed him right in front of her. Somewhat forced, true, but she could have pushed him away—yet she hadn't. And it hadn't been just a kiss either... It had been making out, and truth be told, it had been very nice... But wrong. Very wrong. Perhaps pushing him away had always been the better option. In retrospect, there were a lot of things she probably could have done better...

_The extraction of the demon was complete. The leader of the shadowy figures raised his voice, easily getting the wanted attention from the others. "Sasori, Deidara... See to our guests. They're yours... Except for the Jinchuuriki host, bring him to me alive. The rest of you is done here." _

Sasori... Deidara... They were so strange, she still didn't know what to think of them. She had written in her diary that she couldn't choose between them, that she liked them both. Was that really the case? They were so different, but they had many things in common too. Deidara seemed like such an open book compared to Sasori, but yet... It seemed like such a farce. In reality, they were both like lakes with deep water, the bottom so far down that it seemed like an impossible task to try and reach it. Would she ever come to understand either of them? It was hard to tell if they were being honest with her, even though Sasori insisted that he never lied. The cold demeanor she had to deal with from time to time frightened her, but other than these occasions they were never openly angry with her—like the perfect suitors. It was strange how accurate the characters in the book resembled the people she knew in real life, and it wasn't only their appearance; their actions, the words they spoke... It matched every individual.

It was uncanny... Since the other Akatsuki kept to themselves, could it be that Sasori and Deidara were the ones who acted like the 'faces' of their group, interacting with others and all? Or was she thinking too much along the lines of 'mafia'?

"_Naruto, stop," Kakashi ordered the angered blond boy. "You know full well." _

"_Indeed," Deidara chimed in, sitting comfortably on the fallen redhead's body. "I should think you'd know... that he's already dead, hmm." _

She couldn't read them, therefore she simply assumed they weren't as bad as everyone said they were. Maybe she was wrong, maybe deep down, they were just as evil and mean as they were portrayed in this surreal book she was reading.

"_So... you still think this'll be easy, granny Chiyo?" _

No way... So that was the actual Sasori? He looked just like the redhead she knew, if not a little younger. ...Figures. At this point, Sakura didn't even care to feel surprised anymore... or maybe she was just tired.

Stretching her limbs before sitting up on her bed, Sakura closed the book and lay it underneath her bed. It was about time she went to sleep. It was too late for this anyway. Sighing, the girl undressed and put on her pajamas, then crept into her bed, put off the light on her nightstand and snuggled into her blanket. One last memory flashed through her mind before she drifted away into a fitful sleep: Her first Biology lesson with Sasori and the silent conversation they had shared.

_'What was the book about? You did start reading it, didn't you.' _

_'The book—yes, I did start reading it—was about ninja in another world. Kind of funny, actually. Especially since one of the characters has my name. No, you're not in it. The book's too cool for you.' _

Heh... She was going to have to admit defeat on that one...

* * *

Monday 23rd

Deidara didn't bother knocking before he opened the door to Sakura's room. It was early morning, the sun had just let a glimpse of itself show over the horizon, and he was about to give the girl a surprise visit. Smirking to himself, the blond quietly closed the door behind him and made his way over to the windows. The curtains were closed, so he opened them slowly, allowing the light of dawn to illuminate the room.

Satisfied with the improved sight, Deidara turned around and walked to the bed. Sakura was facing the other way. Needless to say, he wanted her to turn and see him as she woke up, so instead of just walking around the bed to wake her up on the other side, he leaned over the bed and reached out to nudge her. After all, the lighting was perfect as it was now. In his artistic vision, Deidara wanted Sakura to open her pretty emerald eyes to see him, a shadow illuminated from behind by the rising sun. It would be like a dream, she would be amazed by this magnificent sight that would greet her eyes as she woke. This fleeting moment she would never forget.

Perfection.

The blond backed off when Sakura stirred and let out a soft groan. He positioned himself between Sakura and the window and watched the girl in front of him slowly turn around. She rolled over eventually, showing Deidara her face.

The smile that had previously stretched itself over the young man's face disappeared as he saw the girl's disheveled appearance. Her cheeks were slightly puffy and red, and it looked like she hadn't had much sleep. Deidara didn't know what to think of it. As if in a daze, he just kept standing there until the pink haired girl on the bed woke up.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open, revealing two bright, shiny emerald irises that tried hard to focus on this shadow standing before her.

Deidara saw the girl's watery eyes and knew that she had been crying.

"...Who are... Deidara...?"

An urgent feeling dominated Deidara's other senses as he stared into the girl's eyes. He had to get out of there. Away from her.

Within a second, the blond turned on his heels and quickly left the room. Sakura blinked a few times as the bright light suddenly hit her face and the shadow disappeared. It didn't take long for her eyelids to close, and after emitting an exhausted sigh, she once again fell asleep.

* * *

He rushed through the short hallway that led him from the pink haired girl's room to his own. Once inside, he walked over to his bed and lay down on it. After a few moments of lying there while staring agitatedly up at the ceiling, he got up again and opened his window, then leaned his elbows on the sill and stared outside. The world was fairly dark, since he had a west view and the sun was coming up in the east. As he stood there, leaning on the windowsill, watching the sky becoming lighter and lighter, Deidara realized his mood wasn't getting any better.

Heaving an agitated sigh, he pushed himself up and sat down underneath the window. Why was he so annoyed all of a sudden? Perhaps it was because his waking Sakura up hadn't gone as planned. He'd had an artistic vision in his mind and in a matter of seconds it was ruined. It could have been superb, yet she had to go and ruin it by _crying_. Yes, he told himself. That was the reason.

Out of nowhere, Deidara emitted a sharp laugh, smirking at nothing in particular. Now, he had absolutely no qualms with distorting the truth to others, but to think he had sunk so low that he'd even lie to himself... No, he had stooped down to great depths before, and he wasn't about to let that happen again.

_Damn girl_, he thought, his smirk turning into a grin. _I'm actually beginning to like her._

He was such a masochist, Deidara inwardly berated himself. Letting these annoying and destructive feelings be like that, not even willing to do anything about them. It was as if he was looking forward to the hurt that would inevitably come around.

It would be so easy to just blame it all on the new girl, but he knew that wasn't right. It wasn't as if she was seducing him. Quite the contrary, actually: He was the one doing the seducing. Why? Because he wanted things from her. It was like her innocence called out to him, begged to be shown what to do. And he wanted to show her. She was so naive, so inexperienced. For some reason, it appealed to him. Deidara considered himself to be quite a dominant person. Maybe that dominance was the reason she attracted him in the first place. She was so submissive, so easy, so... ignorant. It amused him; it was entertaining.

And here he was, thinking all this time that he only liked the bold, coy and daring girls; the ones that knew what they wanted and went for it. They were usually the ones he kept going back to anyway. Admitted, they were typically stereotyped as sluts, but hey; they were eager and willing. The shy little wallflowers usually didn't interest him. The skittishness of those girls tended to annoy him before long.

The only times when he ever bothered with them was whenever there was a new girl—Sasori and he had made it a common habit to bet on who could get her first. Initially, this was what happened with Sakura as well. But then things got complicated, the party occurred, the injuries came around... The bet still stood, though. Neither Sasori or he had managed to get laid with her yet, so until that happened... However, Deidara didn't think Sasori was still interested in Sakura like that. The only reason why his friend would still want to do her, would be for the sole reason of hurting her beyond imagining. And, considering the type of person Sakura was, she'd be devastated, humiliated... All Sasori would leave was a broken doll. And, cursed be his pride, Deidara wouldn't accept something broken. At least, not before he was done with her—which, considering the intensity of his feelings, would most likely be a long time.

The blond let out a sigh, the grin disappearing off his face. There was nothing else to it, then. Whatever Pain was planning, whatever Sasori was plotting, he'd make sure Sakura wouldn't end up as a broken doll. He wanted her live and kicking, energetic and smiling... Even if that meant going against orders. Sure, he liked his fellow Akatsuki members and enjoyed spending time with them to a certain degree, but in the end he himself always came first. No matter what, his own happiness would always come first. Always.

After all, he didn't live his life for others. He was no dog and he wouldn't obey commands from anyone unless he benefited from it somehow. He lived his life for no one but himself; in the end nothing and no one else mattered. He wasn't going to let himself be told what to do if it meant going against what he wanted.

And he wanted to be with Sakura.

* * *

"Blondie, over here asshole!"

Deidara glared almost instantly. "Shut up Hidan!" Despite his words, he went over to the silver haired male anyway and sat down at the table. The cafeteria was slowly filling with people and it wasn't crowded yet, giving everyone inside the opportunity to talk with a normal volume. Then again, it wasn't as if this applied to Hidan.

"So, what got your panties in a fucking knot, huh?" The intensified glare this earned him only served to make Hidan's grin widen. "Oh, I know what that face says! It is this: You just _had_ to say that out loud, didn't you, _hmm_?" Hidan imitated Deidara's tone of voice and habitual 'hmm' with near perfection. Deidara didn't even bother to sigh in irritation. His eye didn't even twitch. And Hidan, seemingly oblivious to the blond's reaction—but actually very much aware of it, and relishing in it—just continued on.

"I can read you like a book, my friend." An arm draped around said friend's shoulders. "Troubles with pinky?"

This caused a reaction. Deidara promptly pushed Hidan off of him, letting the guy fall on the floor. "How did you know, hmm?"

"Hey, what was the fucking push for? Jeez." Hidan got up in his seat again, then grabbed the silver pendant that he carried around his neck and proceeded in kissing it while looking up into an imaginary sky. "And about pinky... God gave me that knowledge."

Within seconds, Hidan lay on the floor again.

"Goddammit! What the hell's your problem?"

"Don't start with bullshit about that god of yours, Hidan," a tall guy intervened, dragging the religious zealot up and threw him into a seat before sitting next to him, opposite of Deidara.

"Kakuzu," the blond greeted with a nod.

"Deidara," the tanned, dark haired male responded. "You've got problems with that girl?"

The blond shook his head and leaned his elbows on the table, intertwining his fingers. "Nah, not really, hmm."

"Did she find out?"

Kakuzu's deep voice made Deidara look up. "No, not that I know of, and I should know, hmm."

"Then what's fucking wrong?" Hidan called out none too subtly. "I asked you if you had troubles with pink and you replied with a 'how did you know'! It has fucking to do with her, doesn't it?"

This time, Deidara did sigh. "No... Yes, well, a little." When he saw Hidan with his inquisitive violet eyes and the stoic Kakuzu in front of him, he suddenly felt like he was being questioned by a psychiatrist. "But it's not important," he finished with a grin.

Hidan just shook his head and Kakuzu announced he was going to get something to eat, leaving the matter for what it was. Deidara watched him leave, grin not leaving his face. Smiles could cover up anything, if used wisely.

* * *

"Out of the way, twerp."

The younger boy jumped away just in time, barely avoiding being pushed over by the taller blond whom he knew not to mess with. "I'm sorry!"

"You had better, hmm," the older one replied coldly, not even sparing a glance at the boy wearing goggles atop his head. He reached room number 433 within a couple of strides and was about to open the door when the kid spoke up again.

"Is that for her?" the boy asked, gesturing towards the sandwiches balanced on a tray in the blond guy's hand. He received a glare and a curt nod. "That's actually... nice of you—considering you're not nice at all!" he added quickly as the taller guy got a look on his face that clearly stated: How dare you _say it_. "I mean," the boy continued on a somewhat softer tone, "She hasn't left her room all day. I bet she's hungry."

With this, he quickly walked away, not interested in being at the negative receiving end of the taller blond's temper tantrum. Deidara was left standing there for a few seconds, mulling this little piece of information over, before he shook his head lightly and entered Sakura's room.

"Incoming!" Deidara called out as he closed the door and went over to Sakura. She was still wearing her pink pajamas and was sitting on her bed, quickly putting a black book away as soon as she saw—or rather, heard—Deidara come in.

"And how are you doing today, lovely?" the blond said with a smile as he sat down on the bed beside Sakura. "I brought you something to eat. Figured you'd appreciate it, hmm."

The shocked stare she gave him was made of genuine surprise. Before long, her lips tugged into a small smile. "Thank you. That's really nice of you."

Deidara managed to hold back the eye twitch that threatened to show itself at that comment. He just let it slide. After all, it was Sakura who he was dealing with. He'd do best to let her have her... illusions. "There you go," he said gently, placing the tray on the bedsheets. "You have been drinking enough, right?"

"Uh huh," the girl answered before she took the first bite of her sandwich. It was all quite ironic. A couple of days earlier she had been the one to give someone else sandwiches. Apparently it was a universal way to show someone that you cared.

"That's good, hmm."

Sakura couldn't help the smile as she took another bite. Deidara cared for her...

"So, what have you been up to today, hmm?"

She shrugged. "Nothing much..."

"Locked yourself up in your room all day, huh?"

Once again, Sakura looked up to him in shock. _How did he know?_

And as if he could read her mind, Deidara answered. "Some kid I met in the hallway told me, hmm."

Sakura didn't know what to say to that. Instead, she just looked away. She was afraid that if she met Deidara's eyes now, he'd see right through her. She felt as though her problems were written down on her forehead, there for anyone to read and see and make fun of. On one hand she actually wanted to let Deidara know what was bothering her, but on the other hand... It would reveal everything. And she didn't know if he was going to like what she told him.

"Tell me, Sakura," the blond guy pried, having an idea or two about what might be wrong. "What's bothering you?"

Sakura made a fatal mistake: She looked up. As soon as she was caught by them, she knew there was no escaping those clear, bright blue eyes. She wanted to tell him. Almost all of the people she had considered her friends were ditching her, but he kept coming back to her. Deidara didn't walk out on her. How could she even _think_ of keeping the truth from him? All rationality left her as she blurted out the very thing that had been weighing down on her for days.

She took a couple of deep breaths before she spoke. "Deidara, I need, I want to..." Okay, wrong beginning. Let's try that again. She took in another breather to calm herself. "Deidara. I need to tell you something... important." She tore her eyes away from his and bit her bottom lip, trying to think of the best way to formulate what she wanted to say.

"It's..." She had to look at him. She couldn't say this while looking away. He had to know she meant it and wasn't just rehearsing a line. And so, she met his eyes again, Deidara waiting patiently for her to speak. "I was the one that told Gaara of the whereabouts of the party. I never wanted to do it, I refused, but Kimimaro forced me. You don't know how sorry I am. I'm sorry, Deidara. I'm really sorry."

She swallowed audibly when she was done, hating it that Deidara was so silent. Not that she hadn't expected it. Hell, she was the cause of his injury; he had every damn right to be silent. Sakura just hoped the silent treatment wouldn't last for too long...

Luckily, her wish was granted. Having already read the girl's diary before, Deidara had trouble holding back his smile. However, he realized he couldn't say that to her, so he opted for something else. Sakura always hoped for people to show their best side anyway, so there wasn't a doubt in his mind that she'd buy it.

He was very glad he had been able to get his hands on that diary. If he had not known about this, there was no way he'd react as docile and forgiving as he was about to.

"Sakura..." he began slowly, then held the silence for a bit longer, heightening the tension. "I... can't believe it, hmm. You, of all people..."

The pink haired girl hung her head down in shame, feeling too guilty to be able to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry..."

"To think that... I thought you liked us, hmm. And you just... turned on us." Deidara let out a short, bitter laugh. He didn't actually mean all the things he was saying, but he just wanted to make Sakura _feel_... Maybe it was a bit unfair, but hey, this was about the mildest reaction she could possibly get. She should be glad he wasn't yelling and cursing her... or worse. It could have been _far_ worse.

"...I... I do like you. I do."

"Well, nice way of showing it, hmm? Like a bullet through the heart... or through the arm, in my case."

_Maybe this is enough_, Deidara thought when he noticed a couple of drops fall down on the bedsheets. She started crying then. It began with choked sobbing, but the girl lost her control when Deidara put an arm around her and pulled her close. "Shh, Sakura. Don't worry about it. I'm still alive."

Wrong words. The pink haired girl's body shook with tremors as she cried against the blond young man, who started to think that perhaps he had overdone it a little. And he really didn't like dealing with crying girls. Unless he caused it. Which... he technically did, but it was different this time. He wanted Sakura to stop already. So... on to work.

Deidara embraced Sakura fully, holding her tight against him. "I forgive you, hmm. It's all right. Stop crying." His words sure had effect, but the tears wouldn't stop falling down. "Um... please?" He had the feeling that there were more things going on that had caused such a heart aching breakdown like that.

Slowly but surely, Sakura managed to still herself. "I'm so glad..."

"Then smile!" Deidara uttered, trying to cheer her up. "I'm not holding it against you, so be happy already, yeah."

At the look on his face that was almost pleading with her to stop acting miserable, Sakura couldn't help but emit a soft laugh. "It's not that easy..."

"It is," Deidara countered. He stared into Sakura's green eyes and tried to convey what he wanted to see: A smile on her face. Was that too much to ask? "Come on," he told her, shaking her lightly to and fro. "I've experienced worse things, honestly. I'm fine, hmm."

And there it was, finally, _finally_. The blond sighed in content as he saw the smile that appeared on the girl's face. "I guess so," she said softly. "I still remember what you told me during Health and Care earlier this week."

This got Deidara to laugh too. "Hell yeah I did. God... Hey, what did you think when I told you, hmm?"

Sakura shook her head slightly as she saw the disturbing grin on his face, but the smile didn't disappear. "Honest?" Deidara nodded. "You're weird."

This caused them both to laugh. Sakura was so happy that Deidara didn't flip on her. She pinked a stray tear away from her face and took a deep breath to steady herself. "But seriously," Deidara spoke, "You haven't ever had anything like that happen to you? Ever?" Sakura shook her head. "You know what?" He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Lacking life experience is weird too." And then, after a pause; "You're weird as well, pinky."

Sakura laughed lightly as Deidara ruffled her pink hair. "Well, isn't that great. World's greatest mismatch."

The older guy pulled her against him and held her close. "Yeah... Aren't we total misfits, hmm." The girl leaning against him muttered something inaudible in consent. They sat together like that, enjoying being in each other's presence, sharing each other's warmth. Eventually Deidara slowly lay down on the bed, taking Sakura down with him—only to come down on the plate with the half eaten sandwich. The blond couldn't help but growl lightly, as if someone had just walked in on them. Damn plate.

"Oh, I totally forgot," Sakura remarked, grabbing the sandwich. "I'm still hungry." Strange, how mood swings can affect one's appetite.

Hungry... Deidara looked at Sakura, the look on his face disgruntled, though the girl didn't see it since she was too busy eating. They had just been about to get down... The now empty plate caught the blond's attention, and he gently picked the thing up only to drop it to the ground and hear it hit the floor with a loud clatter.

"Um, Deidara?" Sakura inquired, looking at him questioningly.

He turned to her with a small smile on his face. "Nothing."

The girl's mouth formed an 'oh' before she continued eating.

* * *

Tuesday 24th

"Is everyone here?" a blond woman inquired, getting the attention of every person in the room. "Yes? Great, then we shall now commence this meeting."

Everyone present sat down in a chair and listened when a tall man began to speak up. The murmuring stopped and the room became quiet, save for one deep, gruff voice.

"Thank you all for being here on such short notice. The investigation has been completed under my surveillance. Several students have been questioned, as well as the ones that were injured, and I believe we've gained an accurate view on the happenings of the evening of March 18th. With us today are three members of the Department of Education who have come to hear the results of what happened. They'll also decide on possible sanctions against the school."

Three people stood up from their seats. They were all relatively old and at first glance didn't look very friendly, though it became clear that at least one of them wasn't as bad as he looked. "Don't mind us," he said with a wrinkly smile. "I'm sure things aren't as bad as we were told. I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, and my companions are Danzou Shimura and Chiyo Shimofuri." With this, the two men and the woman sat down again.

"Right," the tall man began. "And I am Ibiki Morino. Now, I'll get straight to the results of the investigation. After speaking with the students, it would appear that there was a party going on in the staff's lounging room in Building A. The party was prepared and several teachers and other staff members knew of its existence. Some even provided help with the organization, having smuggled in liquor and drugs."

Ibiki paused a bit. He had been severely disappointed when he had found out that teachers had cooperated as well. One of them, Orochimaru, persisted that he had nothing to do with it, but there were enough students who could testify against him. The man's words were worth nothing.

"The party was originally intended as a birthday party for Kisame Hoshigaki, but it turned into an all out alcohol-and-drugs-festival. Apparently, the party was an exclusive one, and only people who had been invited were allowed to enter. At a certain point in time a group of uninvited students appeared who entered without permission, causing a ruckus. The fight escalated and soon the party was over, with the students trying to get away in order not to get hurt. However, in the aftermath, multiple people got hurt, with a couple of dozen light injuries that consist of slash wounds caused by knives and other sharp objects, broken bones caused by trampling and physical violence and three severely injured students that were shot with a gun. It is believed that there were two guns, used by two people. The first shooter was Gaara Sabaku, who shot both Deidara Katsuhiko and Sasori Akasuna."

A short, sharp intake of breath coming from the female school inspector when hearing that last name was missed by most people, except for the two other inspectors sitting next to her.

"The second shooter is still unknown, but the second gun has been found with one bullet missing. The third person who was shot is Gaara Sabaku himself. Two of the three shot students are currently in the infirmary and are doing just fine; none of them are in an immediate danger of loosing their lives."

Ibiki stopped there, giving way for others to speak up. He sat down in his own seat and listened with only half an ear. He had given the basic information on what happened, and now it was up to the rest to come with a solution as to what to do now.

The meeting went on and on, until it was finally concluded and everyone was allowed to leave. Not to Ibiki's surprise, nothing concrete was offered, apart from the fact that it was highly likely that Orochimaru was going to be fired. Not that Ibiki particularly cared about that. Such weak measures were not going to prevent any such thing to happen again. He had had contact with lots of the involved students and knew that whatever was going on, was not going to be fixed like that.

"Ibiki, will you be coming with us?"

The gloomy man looked up to see Tsunade standing near him, looking down questioningly. "Jiraiya asked if you could come to his office as well."

Ibiki nodded and stood, having hopes that perhaps everything he had heard thus far wasn't the actual conclusion to this story. He followed the blond woman to the principal's office, noting that the three school inspectors were going the same way. Arriving at the place, the five of them entered through the double doors and came face to face with the white haired principal. The doors were closed, then they all took a seat in front of the principal's desk.

"Welcome," Jiraiya started, sporting a smile. "So... everything alright?"

"Jiraiya, get to the point," Tsunade said while glaring at the white haired man.

"Yeah, yeah, sure thing," the principal waved the blond woman's anger away. "You aren't actually considering some severe sanctions against the school, are you?" This was obviously directed at the three members of the Department of Education.

"Well," Hiruzen spoke slowly, "What we heard was pretty severe. Guns, drugs, alcohol... Is there even any sort of surveillance on these kids?"

"There is," Ibiki said before Jiraiya could answer. "I am personally monitoring the problematic cases. Thing is, some of these kids are really difficult to handle. The students have gathered into several gangs in this school which have proved hard to disband."

"Efforts have already been made, I presume," Danzou spoke up, his voice uncaring. "Why are these students not banned from this school? Hinode has an excellent reputation, so why risk that?"

"There is no hard evidence that these students are doing anything wrong." Jiraiya frowned. "I'm not going to ban students based on mere rumors. They all deserve a chance. Plus, their parents are paying for their kid's stay here. Banning them would only result in lawsuits."

"And shootings won't?" Danzou retorted coldly.

"Not if you say it wasn't anything serious," Jiraiya smiled nervously.

Tsunade shook her head quietly and a silence ensued. It was broken by Chiyo, who addressed the principal. "You know... My grandson was shot in this shooting. What makes you think I won't want the culprits to pay the price for it?"

"Gaara has paid the price," Tsunade answered shortly, ignoring the glare that was sent her way.

"And your grandson isn't exactly innocent either," Ibiki added. "I've noticed he—

Chiyo didn't even let him finish. "Are you calling my dear grandson a criminal? He is the one that was shot, and I won't believe he did anything that was deserving of something this horrible. Is my grandson on your little surveillance list, Ibiki Morino?"

"As a matter of fact, he is."

"Then I suggest you remove him. I won't stand for my grandson being monitored by anyone other than a nurse or doctor. And you," Chiyo turned to Jiraiya, who didn't dare speak up to this sharp witted old lady. "What is going to be done about this Gaara Sabaku? How did he get a gun? How is his mental stability? Has he ever done anything along the likes of this before?"

"Ah, yes," Hiruzen said, "Perhaps it would be a good idea to issue a background check on all students that apply for Hinode."

"What do you think?" Jiraiya looked at Ibiki.

Said man didn't answer immediately. He had connections, of course he already performed those background checks on the students. How else could he have created and maintained his surveillance list? "That would be a good idea," he answered eventually. He didn't know what Chiyo knew about her grandson, but Ibiki doubted she knew more than he did and hell, that shady little guy absolutely deserved being on his surveillance list.

"Right," Jiraiya said after a while. "Tsunade, Ibiki, thank you for coming, but you may leave now." And so they left. Not long after they had gone, both Hiruzen and Danzou left the office as well, biding their goodbyes to the principal. Chiyo didn't leave with them, claiming she wanted to visit her grandson first. Soon, she was alone with principal Jiraiya.

"Now," she started, turning around and walking to the window behind the desk, staring outside. "There are a couple of things I wanted to discuss with you as well."

"Really? Well, spit it out! I'm all ears." Jiraiya turned around in his chair, eying the old woman. He missed the look of distaste that crossed her face as she heard his words, seeing that she was standing with her back to him.

"Well then. You see, my grandson means a lot to me. Apart from my brother, he is the only family I have left. I'm sure you've heard of the tragic fate that met his parents?"

"Yeah, I did," the white haired man answered. How could he not? It had been one of the most brutal murders that had happened in the past decade. "Poor little guy, having to miss his parents. And in such a way, too..."

"Yes, it truly is terrible. And now, despite my best efforts, he has had to experience another attempt on his life. Here I thought this school was the most prestigious in the country... I thought that with his last name changed, he'd be safe from danger."

"Oh, but I'm sure this wasn't because of that," Jiraiya tried to reassure her. "Absolutely no one knows. The kids don't have a clue, truly!"

"You understand that, should I choose to come out with this information and step to the press, the media will undoubtedly see this as a continuation... of what happened back then. The negative feedback directed towards this school will be great. Of course, I could also decide to keep this information to myself, and you won't have to worry about anything."

"What could I do to make you decide to do the latter?" Jiraiya inquired, a little scared now. This lady... she was dangerous.

"Oh, it's nothing much, really!" Chiyo laughed a bit before continuing. "I just want my sweet Sasori to be dropped off that peculiar list, I want whatever charges against him to be dropped, he won't have sit out any sort of punishment for attending that party, and I want you to assure me that whatever my grandson asks of you, you will get it done. Does this sound unreasonable to you?"

The white haired man just stared. "Um... That's a little... I guess, perhaps, this one time... taking the situation into consideration..."

"Wonderful," Chiyo cheered, clapping her hands once. "So, I take it that my grandson will be taken care of accordingly, then?"

"Yes, sure! We'll do our best." Jiraiya grinned, though on the inside he was horrified. This lady... how dare she ask these things? Then again, there wasn't much he could do about it. Defying her would mean dooming his school. He'd go broke, he'd have to forget about seeing his mademoiselles...

"Good, good." The elderly woman looked very pleased with herself. "I'll be taking my leave now. I still have to take a look at my sweet little one, make sure he'll be alright here." She turned around and walked to the double doors. Just before she left the room, she halted and spoke her last words. "If my grandson has even the slightest bit of a complain, you can be sure that you'll be removed from your position within the following week."

* * *

The door to the infirmary opened and Sakura stepped inside. However, she was shocked to see some old woman sitting on the empty bed at Sasori's side. Both the woman and Sasori turned to watch her as she entered. "Um, am I intruding?" This woman was likely to be related to Sasori, so maybe it wasn't the right time for her to visit, the pink haired girl thought to herself.

"Oh no, not at all!" the old woman responded quickly. "At least if you're here for my sweet little grandson, that is."

Sasori's eyes widened immediately. "Granny! Don't do that."

Sakura was silent. So this was Sasori's grandmother. "Yes, I am," she answered honestly. Come to visit Gaara? Hell no, not after what he had made her go through. And the worst was still to come...

"Then do come in, sweetie. I'll tolerate any friend of Sasori's. And Sasori, dear, I'll call you whatever I want."

The door was closed and Sakura went over to stand at Sasori's side, standing between his and Gaara's beds. She saw Sasori flashing a glare at his grandmother, who only smiled back at him, not appearing to care. "My name is Sakura," the girl introduced herself.

"Sakura, hmm? Family name?"

"Haruno," Sakura replied.

"I'm Chiyo Shimofuri," the old woman responded, "And I'm Sasori's grandmother." Her facial expression was that of pondering. "Ah... Haruno... Where have I heard that before?"

As the older woman pondered on, Sakura wondered what she was talking about. Her parents hadn't done anything admirable or something. The thing that got them the most fame was probably their deaths. And still, the news had only reached the local newspapers, nothing more. "I don't think you've heard of my name before..." Sakura said quietly. Her parents had long since passed away.

"That's right... You're absolutely right. I haven't heard of it." Chiyo shook her head. "And to think I prided myself on knowing everyone with the slightest bit of influence in this country... Unless..." Her eyes locked onto Sakura's green ones. "Whose child are you? Or do you rather not tell?"

Sakura's eyes widened a bit before she looked away. "No, I'd rather not." Her eyes briefly met Sasori's inquisitive ones, and she quickly looked away again.

"Hmm... Say, how did you enter this school?" Chiyo asked.

"Huh?" Sakura looked up, meeting Chiyo's gaze. "Oh, I've received a scholarship."

The elderly woman reeled back. "Scholarship? Well, that explains everything."

Sakura began to get what this was all about. She already knew most of the people going to Hinode were... Well, let's just say they weren't exactly _poor_. However, that was no reason to be treated like she was being treated right now. Chiyo was staring at her like she was the offspring of some kind of slug.

The pink haired girl couldn't help but frown. She had worked hard to deserve that scholarship, and she most definitely deserved to be there. Unlike most of those other brats, she did not take all the chances and opportunities she had obtained by getting accepted into Hinode for granted! No matter how much trouble she'd get into, caused by some stupid gangs and people who thought they were so tough because their moms and daddies owned so much money... She was better than any of them.

"Now, what's that look, child?" Chiyo seemed to have regained her control of the situation and had obviously noticed Sakura's look on her face. "Was it wrong for me to assume that you were... How to put this politely... Not poor?"

A chuckle escaped Sasori; he couldn't help himself. Sakura quickly whipped her head around and shot him a glare. She had hoped it would shut him up, but it didn't really work. Rather, Sasori just grinned at her after a poor attempt at hiding his amusement.

"That's not exactly polite," Sakura bit back at Chiyo, feeling her anger rise. "And what's wrong with me not being a spoiled brat? Does that make me any less of a person?"

Chiyo did not respond and Sasori fell silent. "Now," the woman began, "Don't take this personally."

"Personally?" Sakura replied, feeling quite astonished at what she was witnessing right then and there. The audacity... "Of course I'm taking this personally! I have every right to be here, if not more! I studied hard to get to this point, my grades are excellent and I was so happy with getting that scholarship. I will make good use of it and I swear I'll graduate cum laude, just you watch me! Unlike everyone else in this school, I actually appreciate the opportunities going to this school has offered me! I didn't come here because my family's so damn rich or so well known around the country. No, I came here because I deserved it!"

The other two in the room, apart from Gaara who was currently unconscious, were speechless. Neither of them made any move to begin speaking. Perhaps the sight of that small girl with such ridiculous pink hair, shaking with anger, was something they hadn't expected. Sasori, who had always thought Sakura to be a gentle, even tempered girl—certainly not capable of shouting like this—was quite taken aback.

"I'm no less than you..." Sakura continued with a much softer voice, looking Chiyo dead in the eyes. "Don't you dare act like you're better than me, just because you think you've got the means, the power and money to act all high and mighty. I'll work hard, I'll keep on going... and I'll get up there. And trust me when I say that there will come a time when the name Haruno will be recognized by everyone." By now, the shaking had stopped and Sakura held her chin up with pride as she stared at the other woman, not fazed by anything.

Sasori didn't know what to say. He had never seen Sakura act like this, much less expected it. She... the weak girl that was so easily manipulated... She could find it in her to defend herself like this? He had kept his expression carefully neutral, but he sure as hell didn't know what to do now. His brown eyes flickered over to his grandmother.

It didn't take long for the elder to come up with words. "Really now? You're going to work your way up?"

"Yes." The girl's answer was resolute. She had never been more serious about something.

"Hmm..." Chiyo was mulling this reply over in her head. Her eyes went over to Sasori and she briefly met his gaze. Her grandson frowned slightly as she looked at him. Then she watched Sakura for a bit, observing the girl's determined stare, and eventually closed her eyes. Both Sakura and Sasori were anticipating the woman's words, but when they finally came, both of them startled away. "I approve!" Chiyo held up a thumb and grinned, all the while Sasori frowned and blushed slightly while shifting away from his grandmother as best as he could, feeling very ashamed of this reaction of hers. He looked over to Sakura and saw she was blushing profusely and tried to cover her face with her hands as she stared with wide green eyes at his old lady.

"Granny... She's not my... girlfriend," Sasori muttered, voice laced with slight agitation.

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear! I can see you like each other, so you don't have to lie to me." Elder Chiyo laughed heartily. "Yes, she's definitely worthy. I don't have a problem with her."

"Granny..." Sasori had to resist the urge to sigh. There was no talking to her. Should he keep up pretense and just go along with her? Another sigh followed and he looked away with a small smile. "Fine, you caught on to me, granny Chiyo. How is it you always figure things out so easily..."

Sakura looked up and stared at him. "Um, what?"

Sasori watched her. "There's no reason to deny it anymore, Sakura." He saw her blush deepen and inwardly sighed once again. She was still the same old Sakura, it would seem. Shy as always when it came to these things. Thinking quickly, he held out his hand. "Come here."

The pink haired girl chanced a glance at the old lady and almost cringed when she saw her beginning to grin. Sasori wasn't going to do anything weird with his grandmother here, right? Hesitantly, Sakura took a chance and lay her hand in Sasori's. He pulled her up in one swift movement and sat her down next to him before wrapping an arm around her waist.

Thank the gods, he left it at that.

"So," Chiyo began, "I still want to know more about you, Sakura."

"Why is that?" Sakura replied. "When I know barely anything about you. So what are you, super rich or something?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she silently reprimanded herself. What a stupid thing to say. Then again, for the elder to speak so badly of her being poor, it probably was to be expected. It didn't justify her rude words, but it made it at least a little better.

Luckily, Chiyo only chuckled. "Why of course. In fact, my family is one of the richest in this country. Child, you couldn't even begin to imagine the power I hold in this society."

Sakura was baffled. So... in other words... the person who was holding her right now was not just some guy nobody messed with at school... He was also filthy rich. For some reason this fact was slightly frightening to her. Sasori really _could_ get away with anything.

"However, my family isn't very large anymore," Chiyo continued. "There are only a few family members left and they're all old, too. I'm sure it won't be long before my age catches up to me as well, and when that happens Sasori will be the only heir for everything our family owns."

"Now, don't get ahead of yourself," Sasori quickly added, a mischievous glint manifesting in his eyes. "You're not that old. You'll be fine for many more years to come."

"Oh sweetie," Chiyo crooned, a warm smile present on her face. "As much as I'd wish for that to be true, I'm afraid..." The old woman let out a sigh and shook her head lightly, smile still there. "But as long as I'm still here, you can count on me to make sure you'll have the life you deserve."

"I know, granny," Sasori said, smiling absentmindedly.

* * *

Since the final chapter was getting to be so very, very long, I decided to split it up into two parts. The next part will come soon~ Half of it is already written anyway.

On another note: I GRADUATED! I DID IT! YES YES YES! XD

So, now that that's off my chest; Please leave your thoughts in a review! They do make me happy, no matter how much I try to deny it.

Next up: _15, And I'll realize... _


	15. I, 12: And in the free fall I'll realize

_The tragedy, it seems unending_  
_I'm watching everyone I looked up to break and bending_  
_We're taking shortcuts to false solutions_  
_Just to come out the hero_

_Well, I can see behind the curtain_  
_The wheels are cranking, turning_  
_It's all wrong, the way we're working_  
_Towards a goal that's non-existent_  
_It's non-existent, but we just keep believing_

* * *

I

12, I'm better off when I hit the bottom

"_To all students of Hinode: Assemble in the gymnasium at one o'clock. I repeat, all students of Hinode: Assemble in the gymnasium at one o'clock."_

Deidara's eyes opened as the announcement intruded into his room—which he still had for himself, seeing that Sasori still couldn't walk and lay bed ridden in the infirmary. He got up and walked out the door, not bothering to lock it behind him. As if anyone would dare to enter there.

It was still half an hour before it was 1 PM, but he supposed he'd do best to get there in time to get a good seat. Then again, it would appear that a lot of other students had this very same thought in mind. It became quite crowded in the hallways, so Deidara felt the need to push some scrawny looking kids over as he went on his way. He thought it was funny when he saw them topple over and knock down an agitated senior.

Once outside, he joined the stream of students that were walking towards the sports fields. Deidara jogged past them and went off the path, instead deciding to take a shortcut through the forest around the lake. By the time he arrived at the sports fields and saw the indoor sports building coming into view, he saw a couple of familiar figures who were walking along at a slow pace.

Sneaking up behind them, Deidara suddenly shot forward and gave a certain silver haired guy a push against his back. The poor guy was propelled forward from the unexpected force and fell flat on the ground. The blond culprit couldn't help but laugh like a maniac.

"Deidara..." The guy slowly got up, turned around, and then Hidan met Deidara's icy blue eyes with his own murderous violet glare. "You fucker! You goddamn little lowlife! WHAT THE HELL DID I EVER DO TO YOU! Huh!"

"Woah, Hidan, relax, hmm," the blond managed to utter between his laughs.

"Relax? _Relax?_" Hidan was about to strangle Deidara, had it not been for Kakuzu holding him back. "Stop it, Hidan. Let's get inside." And then, to Deidara: "That wasn't a very smart thing to do."

Deidara just shrugged and grinned at them, ignoring—or rather enjoying—Hidan's anger. "Yeah, let's get inside, hmm."

* * *

Sakura was well on her way to the indoor sports building when she saw someone she recognized walking near her. It took her some time, but then she remembered where she had seen him before. For those first three days she had actually been attending classes, he had sat on her left during her English and Literature class.

Deciding to go and talk to him, she did just that. And so she walked over to him and started a conversation. "Hey, um... Sasuke, right?"

The black haired guy turned his head just the slightest bit and glanced at her. "Yeah. What do you want?"

Hmm... not quite the friendly person. "Nothing much, just talk," Sakura answered him. What had it been that Naruto had said about him? Oh yeah... he was a 'jerk'.

Sasuke didn't respond and just continued walking. Sakura frowned at this. What a conversation they were sharing... Perhaps it just took a little more effort on her part.

"So, you're not really friends with Naruto?"

"_Not really_... What an understatement." The both of them came outside and felt the soft wind against their faces. Sasuke made a move with his head which caused some stray strands of hair to get out of his face. "Why are you trying to talk to me? Aren't you with Naruto and his fellow wimps?"

Sakura didn't immediately respond to this. "I was... I think. But not anymore, I guess."

The girl was looking down to the ground and didn't notice Sasuke looking at her fully. "Good for you. Who're you with now?"

"Who am I with?" Sakura echoed quietly. That could mean so many things. Maybe he was asking her whether she was with another group now. The Akatsuki... Or maybe he was actually saying... Who she was with... Sakura couldn't help but remember what had happened the day before when she had visited Sasori and his grandmother. And he, he had pretended that she was his girlfriend. But it was just pretense, after all. But then, Sasuke couldn't possibly have meant his question that way.

She was thinking too much...

"Well? Or is it that you're with nobody now?" Sasuke had to admit to himself that he was slightly interested in this girl. He had heard rumors. Rumors about her being involved with his brothers gang. Maybe that was the reason she was dumped by Naruto's group.

Sakura still hadn't replied. Sasuke's last comment quieted her down even more. Was she alone now? Her thoughts wandered back to the previous days... She had admitted to Deidara that she really liked him, and she had told him what her true role was that Wednesday... And he forgave her. Did that mean she was with him now?

"Hey," Sasuke called out, trying to catch the girl's attention. "It's not the end of the world not to belong to some group."

It did catch her attention, and she looked up. "You're alone, then?"

The dark haired guy nodded. "Yeah, and I'm doing just fine."

Sakura sighed. "I don't know anymore." She felt like she should say more, but at the same time something prevented her from doing it, from saying too much. Opening herself up quicky, exposing her weaknesses just like that, and not even intentionally, too... Down the long run, it had gotten her in the situation she found herself in today.

Sasuke sensed the depressing thoughts that swarmed the pink haired girl's mind. He had been there too often not to be able to sense it with others. "You don't want to be alone." His comment was dead on the mark. Sakura didn't say anything, confirming to Sasuke that he was right.

The two of them walked together, all the way to the sports building. Overall, their walk was silent, but just before entering the building, Sasuke stopped walking and lightly took hold of Sakura's arm. He met her eyes and asked the question that was of utmost importance to that which he had been mulling over the entire walk since their conversation had ended.

"Sakura, what do you think of me?"

Her green eyes widened. That question could mean anything. What did he want to know of her? What did he want her to say? "Um," she started slowly, desperately thinking of the right things to say. "You don't seem like a mean person. If anything, you seem somewhat detached, like you're not really involved with anything other than yourself. But not in a mean way... I think." Lots of thoughts went through her head, but Sakura tried not to blurt everything out. "You're not the most social person, and you're independent. You don't want to be with a group, you like to be on your own. You don't need anyone." She really hoped she wasn't saying plain stupid things. "And, um, you're not ugly. I mean, you're kinda..." Oh, what was she going to say now? Handsome, good looking? Pretty-but-not-my-type because I'm freaking you out right now?

Sakura entirely missed the smirk that had appeared on the dark haired guy's face. "It's fine, you can stop."

The girl only sighed once again. "I freaked you out, didn't I?"

"A little," Sasuke admitted. "But it's not that bad." And then, after a small pause: "I think you're okay. As long as you won't fangirl all over me... You could hang out with me, if you ever felt the need to."

With this, he relinquished his hold of her and walked inside the building. Sakura kept standing there for a little while more, pondering over what had just happened. Perhaps... Perhaps Sasuke could be a friend.

"Sakura."

The voice startled her immensely, shaking her out of her stupor. A hand on her shoulder caused her to turn around sharply and she came eye to eye with someone she initially confused with Sasuke. However, she quickly realized it wasn't him. It was... what was his name? It was Itachi. As she looked at him, Sakura wondered whether or not the two guys were related.

"Let's get inside, Sakura. It's about to start."

She numbly nodded at him and let him guide her inside.

* * *

A boy with glasses came up to the small row of empty seats. He looked up to the people that sat behind the seats and noticed they were all juniors and seniors. They didn't seem to have anything to do with the empty seats, so the boy decided to take the chance and sat down.

It wasn't long before a voice started whispering in his ear. "You thought you could sit there, hmm?" The voice began chuckling.

The boy sat frozen, he didn't dare turn around. "Yeah," he managed to utter, pushing his nerves away. "No one was sitting here."

"He does have a point there, dude," another voice began, coming from the boy's other side.

"What are you trying to say, Hidan? That we should just let this go?"

Nothing was said for a couple of moments, the small freshman started feeling more and more awkward, and then there was a united response. "Hell no!"

* * *

"I'm sorry!" A boy passed Itachi and Sakura, seeming to run for his dear life. The two stared for a few seconds before continuing on their way. Before long they arrived near Deidara, Hidan and Kakuzu, who had kept five seats empty for the members of Akatsuki who had yet to come.

"Sakura, you made it!" Deidara exclaimed cheerfully and ran towards her, getting between her and Itachi. The girl missed the pointed glare that was directed at the dark haired guy, coming from the blond who slapped Itachi's hand away from his Sakura. "Come with me, sweetie." Deidara pulled her along with him, away from Itachi who didn't even so much as blink.

Sakura sat down next to Deidara, and to her it seemed like he was shielding her off from the rest of his group. When she glanced over his shoulder, she noticed none of the other Akatsuki even spared her as much as a smile. It got to her, if only a little. For once, she was glad that Deidara was claiming her so.

* * *

Sasori ignored the whistling that was meant for him. Hey, if he were in their position and the roles were switched, he would have whistled too.

He absolutely _hated_ his position at that moment. He despised, no, loathed it. He felt so utterly belittled, he felt like he was being treated like a child. Like someone _incapable_... of walking. Why didn't they just give him some crutches. Even that would have been less ridiculous than this. Less humiliating.

Dear gods... He was being carried like a princess in the arms of big breasted Tsunade. More than that; she had even helped him dress. The humiliation was absolute.

Why couldn't they have let him be? He would have been fine with hearing the conclusions of the meeting while comfortably lying in his soft, cozy bed, alone and away from prying eyes that found joy in seeing him this weak and fragile. Damn them all. But _no..._ They just _had_ to bring him along, no matter what.

Sasori hated his current situation.

And then the moment came that they entered the gymnasium. Inwardly, Sasori cursed every single person present in the large space that was filled with people who were eying him. All of them, cursed may they be. The Akatsuki too. No, _especially_ them. They were to be called his companions throughout his school life? They hadn't even come visit him. And to think that Sakura had come repeatedly, seeing to it that he was alright, bringing him food and drinks, sharing polite conversations. She was better company than any of them.

These thoughts made him feel even more angered, but at least it kept his mind off of the fact that people were actually laughing at seeing him like this. People were calling him names, pointing, talking excitedly, leered and grinned at his misfortune until they were all ushered to silence by Ibiki. Tsunade set Sasori down carefully in an empty seat that happened to be next to Sasuke.

When Tsunade walked away, the whispering started all around both Sasuke and Sasori. The latter didn't hear any of it through his dark thoughts, but Sasuke, who had been enjoying the lack of attention directed at him, quickly became fed up with it all. A sharp "Shut the hell up, you twats!" caused the silence to find them once again, to his relief.

The sudden silence all around them caused by his dark haired neighbor was something even Sasori noticed, though. He glared over his shoulder towards the incessant annoyances, then glanced over to his right, at Sasuke, in his gaze something akin to appreciation. It was quickly gone though, and Sasori looked forward again, closed his eyes and let out a heartfelt sigh.

The recap of what had happened on Wednesday 18th was long and boring. The speech was ended with the information that a list of names was going to be called, and the people whose names were read, were going to have to stay in the gymnasium while the rest of the students were allowed to leave. This was the part were most of the students were praying that their names were absent so they could leave.

As it turned out, all the names that were being read out loud belonged to people who had attended the party, unsurprisingly. Lots of people left the room, most of them innocent freshmen and oblivious sophomores. A great deal of the juniors and seniors had to stay put.

"Sakura Haruno."

Said girl heard her name being spoken and she snapped out of her daze. To be perfectly honest, she hadn't really expected to be told to stay. Apparently she left quite the impression during the party, for people to have remembered her and have told her name to the investigation team.

"Everyone who has heard his or her name, please come sit here in the front rows."

Sakura was dragged by her arm, by none other than Deidara. Sasori waved the both of them over and Sakura responded immediately, making her way over to the redhead. Deidara begrudgingly let himself be pulled along; he didn't really want his Sakura to be near anyone other than him. He didn't particularly like the idea of someone else trying to make a move on her. And the way Sasori was looking at her... he didn't like it at all. Just before Sakura was about to sit down, Deidara quickly pulled her against him and whispered in her ear, gaze locked onto Sasori's. "I want to talk to you when this is over, alright, hmm?" He felt her nod, then let her go.

Sakura sat down on Sasori's left, who gave her a small smile which she eagerly returned. She actually felt a bit nervous, wondering how much the teachers knew about what had really transpired. She quietly asked the redhead whether or not he was nervous at all, to which he responded negative and then that she shouldn't worry herself.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I think you all know why you've been asked to stay?" Ibiki questioned, standing in front of them and looking down at them all from his height. "Anyone who fails to understand why they are to stay here, you may speak up and defend yourself."

Nobody said anything, the room was quiet. Then, a hand came up, belonging to Neji. "I take it the reason we are all here is because we attended the party? If so, then I want to point out that not everyone who was there actually partook in the fight. I suggest you let those people go. Essentially, they didn't do anything gravely wrong."

"And I take it you are one of those people, Hyuga?" Ibiki spoke harshly.

"Of course," Neji replied, calm as ever. "That is, unless anyone wants to vouch against me..." With this, he eyed the rest of the students, almost daring them.

"In that case, I'll vouch against you," Hidan suddenly proclaimed loudly.

"You _what_?" Neji turned sharply, glaring at the silver haired male. "You liar. I didn't fight."

"Oh really?" Hidan raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly. "Who's going to say I'm wrong? You got proof?"

"Are my knuckles cut up? Do have a bruise on me? No! I did not partake in that fight. You've got nothing against me." Neji's eyes had narrowed considerably and he was about to say more, but Ibiki told him to sit down.

"Anyone else?" the tall man asked, a little bit amused by now.

"Yeah, me again," Hidan started with a loud voice. "Why don't you give us the damn total of detention hours and let us fucking go already, huh?" This blatantly rude comment earned him many cheers to back him up with.

"Silence!" Ibiki boomed. The effect was immediate. "The matter is not how many hours of detention you are all going to get. No... I am going to find out exactly what your sins are, and I will give you an individual, fitting punishment." To this, Hidan was about to open up his mouth again, but Ibiki didn't even let him start. "Now sit down, you little delinquent!"

Hidan sat down, but never once stopped glaring. Like hell he was the one who was sinful...

"The point of this meeting is so that you will understand exactly how wrong your actions have been. Not only by fighting, but by attending that party in the first place."

And so it began; that long and dreadful interrogation. Or rather 'confirmation meeting', seeing that Ibiki seemed to know everything already, and his only aim was making the students admit their faults. The sadist. Why couldn't he just get on with it and give someone the punishment? It would be a lot quicker and less nerve wrecking. Sakura had to hand it to Hidan: She agreed with him on this point.

Most of the people got away quickly. It was rather easy, too. Just admit to Ibiki that he was right, that you had been there, that you consumed alcohol, possibly ingested drugs, partook in the fight, didn't alert the teachers of the fact that a party was about to happen... Just give Ibiki his confirmation, and you were free. It didn't make it any easier for those who were stubborn to begin with, though. The number one rule with Ibiki, don't badmouth him and behave properly, had to be obeyed too—and this proved to be a very hard thing to do for some people.

One such person was Hidan. "_Like hell,_" he spat venomously at the tall man in front of him, not intimidated at all. "So what if I beat up some shitheads? I don't feel guilty! I swear to god it was self defense! You can't punish me for that, fucker!"

Kimimaro was not one of those people. "It's true," he told Ibiki calmly. "I was the one who initiated the fight. I take all blame." Remarkably, this got him a far milder punishment than Hidan got.

"Well then, miss Haruno." Ibiki Morino had arrived in front of Sakura. Deidara had been let off quite quickly; the guy had played it smart and had agreed with everything Ibiki told him. There were only a couple of persons left: Sakura, Sasori, Tayuya, Karin and a guy named Juugo. "Where were you that evening?" the tall man questioned.

"I was at the party," Sakura told him earnestly.

"You know, I had expected to see you that afternoon. Care to elaborate?"

"...I went over to Kisame's room because he had invited me over. I should have had detention for something stupid, but I decided not to show up because it was Kisame's birthday. I figured it couldn't be that bad."

"You figured wrong, little girl." Ibiki eyed her thoughtfully for a moment. "You are such a strange case. I've read through your records of your previous school. Not a single case of misbehavior, not even in the slightest. You were described as the perfect student, a role model."

Sakura was silent. What was she supposed to say to this? "...That's right," she said eventually. "I guess this place has had a weird effect on me."

Surprisingly, Ibiki didn't comment any more. "Detention for two weeks. If you don't show up this time, you'll be expelled."

Upon hearing this, Sakura was stunned. _That was it? Just two weeks? Nothing more? But I... Oh lord..._

"Thank you." Slowly, she stood up and made her way towards the dressing rooms to exit the building. She couldn't speak. She could barely think anything other than that one thought that kept going through her mind: _The gods must really favor me today. The heavens are thanked..._ She didn't hear the booing noises and name callings that came from both Karin and Tayuya. She wasn't even deliberately ignoring it, but it was just that here mind was too far off to even notice. When she came outside, Sakura's feet came to a stop and she raised her eyes to the sky.

_Thank you._

* * *

It was really nice in her room, Sakura decided. At that moment, a soft breeze was coming in through the window. The wind did ease the temperature down a bit, preventing the room from becoming overheated. Sakura was lying on her belly on the bed and had just grabbed the black book with the intention to read from it a bit. However, she hadn't even read one page before a deliberate knock was heard on her door. "It's not locked," she called out, indirectly inviting whoever was outside the door to come inside.

"Hey, Sakura," a familiar voice reached the girl's ears.

Slightly surprised, Sakura turned her head and looked at him, one pink eyebrow raised. "That's the first time you ever knocked to come in."

"Guess so, hmm." Deidara closed the door behind him and went over to Sakura's bed, then sat down on it cross legged. "What are you doing?"

"Reading. Or at least, was trying to."

The blond nodded slightly. After this, he was silent for the remainder of the moment. But then, finally, he broke the silence. "Sorry I didn't wait for you. I said I wanted to talk to you and then I just disappeared, hmm."

"It's fine," Sakura replied. She didn't look at him and her hair hung a bit in her face, so she hoped he couldn't see the light smile that adorned her features. He acted so nice all of a sudden. She was pleasantly surprised. The thought that perhaps he wanted something from her didn't even cross her mind.

"...I wanted to ask you something, hmm."

"Ask ahead."

Deidara didn't reply to that. A sigh escaped his lips, a weary sigh. "Not like this, hmm. Come on, sit up."

"But I'm reading." Not really, but she just wanted to see if he was going to keep his calm.

"Well then you..." Deidara snapped his mouth shut and swallowed down his words. "Please," he continued on a softer tone. "It's not just anything I'm about to ask you. It's kinda... important, I guess?"

He didn't sound so sure himself, but Sakura decided to give him a chance and hear him out. She closed the black book and lay it underneath her bed. She then sat up and faced him, sitting cross legged in front of him on the bed. "Go ahead, then."

"You're so mean sometimes," Deidara commented dryly. "And without knowing it, too. So naive, hmm." He sighed once again, then managed a smile to appear on his face. His sky blue eyes looked up and met her bright emerald gaze. Their gazes were held for a good long moment in which the anticipation rose. Then, he finally spoke up.

"Sakura, would you want to be my girlfriend?"

* * *

The following day, Thursday the 26th of march, school started once again. The lessons continued on as they had over a week ago and the teachers did not speak with a word about the happenings of the past week. This created the bizarre feeling that nothing had happened at all, as if they had just received an unexpected little vacation in which time had just disappeared.

Sakura's first three classes had gone by swiftly and without any particular incidents. Homeroom with Kakashi hadn't been very interesting; he had made them work as usual while he read his orange porn book. Naruto had made light conversation, Ino hadn't talked much while contrarily, Sasuke had joined her conversation with Naruto. History had been more relaxed than usual; Gai was quickly done with his explaining and told them to go make the assignments. Every time Sakura's gaze met Deidara's by accident, he flashed her a quick smile which she returned before they both returned to their work.

Sasori didn't show up in History and he wasn't there during Gym either. Apparently he wasn't able to walk yet. Either that, or he just wasn't allowed to leave his bed.

First break came sooner than expected, and not because it actually came earlier but because time just seemed to fly by. Nothing actually interesting made itself known. Sakura was walking from the West Building towards the cafeteria. All the while, she was debating whether or not to sit with Ino when she had gotten her food. After all, Ino was sitting with the 'happy go luckies', as Deidara called them. She was sitting with Tenten. Sakura remembered that afternoon at the beach all too well. The brunette most definitely did not like her anymore.

The pink haired girl entered the cafeteria and walked over to stand in line for her food. She looked around as she was waiting and saw that Ino was indeed sitting with the rest of her former friends. Should she take a chance and go to them anyway? Maybe she should... and then she could maybe try to redeem herself as well. On the other hand, Tenten did not look so forgiving last time she saw her. Kiba had acted just fine towards her though. However, Kankuro and Shikamaru... Sakura looked over her shoulder and watched the group of people again just as they glanced over at her, so she quickly looked forward again.

No, she shouldn't go to them. Then, should she go sit with Deidara? However, that would mean sitting with the rest of the Akatsuki too... Was it worth it? Maybe Deidara had told them about what she confessed to him... And if she did, her chances of ever returning to Ino and the lot of them would be less than zero.

"Hey, you're keeping the line up," a voice spoke from behind her. Sakura quickly walked forward, having snapped out of her thoughts, and watched who had spoken. "I'm sorry... Neji?"

"That's me," he responded curtly, and then, not sounding really interested but asking anyway, "How are you holding up?"

Sakura shrugged. "I'm... fine, I guess." No need to tell him of what was on her mind. "What about you?" Talk about small talk...

"Nothing worth mentioning," was the reply. "It's your turn."

"Hmm?" Oh, it was her turn! Sakura mentally slapped herself for once again not paying attention and went to get her food. As it turned out, the problem with where to sit solved itself. Deidara walked over and took her by her arm, telling her she was going to sit with him.

"So you're a thing now?" Neji had gotten his food as well and was now looking at them both, arching an eyebrow. Deidara just threw him a smirk and walked off, making the brown haired guy frown. Not answering his question; so rude.

Meanwhile, Sakura was dragged off towards the table where the Akatsuki sat. Ino, Tenten and the rest sitting at their table watched everything closely. Was this really Sakura they were seeing, going towards the Akatsuki's table of her own free will? Surely she didn't belong there... did she? Ino for one, hoped it really wasn't true. She still believed Sakura had meant everything she had told her. The pink haired girl was being pulled along by Deidara, so it was likely his idea to take her to his table. She probably didn't have a choice. Or was it... because she actually didn't mind?

As doubts began to form in Ino's mind, Sakura arrived at the Akatsuki's table. Every member was present, save for Sasori, and they all looked at them as they approached. Deidara wore a big grin and made Sakura sit down on the seat he usually sat on. He held the silence that was filled with expectation for a moment longer before he spoke. "People, I've got an announcement!"

His voice was loud enough that the people sitting at the tables surrounding theirs stilled as well, causing a reaction with the outcome that most of the occupiers of the cafeteria were paying attention to what was going on.

"Well?" Pain inquired with a slightly raised brow.

"I'm sure this is very sudden and all, hmm," Deidara began, and the others heard from his intonation that he didn't really care if it were sudden or not, "But I'm sure you'll be able to deal with it. Sakura is now officially my girlfriend!"

Though in the cafeteria the air became filled with whistles and more such things—at which Sakura couldn't help but blush. She knew Deidara didn't mind and hell, he had probably done this exactly because he wanted this kind of reaction, but she didn't really like all this attention. She'd rather just disappear right then and there. Why had she agreed to become his girlfriend again? Sakura questioned her sanity—the answer Deidara got from the people sitting at their table was but silence. However, after the initial shock those first few seconds, the majority of the gang started grinning as well.

Hidan was the first one to loudly congratulate the 'newly wed' couple. Kakuzu just shook his head; Deidara assumed it was because of Hidan's stupidity, even though he himself could appreciate the comment. He saw Sakura's indignant blush grow even darker and couldn't resist giving her a kiss in her pink hair. Hidan continued with boasting how he had been right all along and that Deidara's issues really had been about her. Sakura, who started to regain her posture a little, stared curiously at the silver haired guy. Deidara had been having issues? That was a first. Well, she knew he had issues, but not that they were about her.

Because of Hidan's talkative mood—which Deidara eventually tried to stop, since it was becoming embarrassing—Sakura also discovered that not only was Deidara _her_ first boyfriend, but also that she was _his_ first. At least, his first 'real girlfriend', or something like that. According to Hidan, Deidara had, as she had already suspected, lots and lots of experience. However much she liked to keep this specific thought out of her mind.

"Alright, enough, hmm!" With this, and a somewhat rough hit to Hidan's head, Deidara stopped the endless flow of information for Sakura and the others to absorb. He should have never started talking to Hidan all those years ago...

Hidan was now glaring at Deidara while rubbing his head. "Why do you always have to fucking physically hurt me, huh? Well, go away then. I don't need you anymore." His overly dramatic voice made the blond ignore him as he turned back to Sakura. But then, Hidan's following words were something that he simply couldn't ignore. "If you're going outside, be sure to fuck safely!"

Deidara whipped his head around at this comment, but Hidan quickly ran away. Sighing, Deidara motioned for Sakura to stand and she did. Some alone time would be great now that this was over. "We're going outside," he told the rest.

"Have fun," Konan spoke. "Is she going to sit here from now on?"

The blond shrugged. "I guess so, hmm. I don't see why not."

"Of course. Well, I don't mind. See you around." After this, the placid young woman took a sip from her drink and engaged herself into a quiet, calm conversation with Pain. Deidara took Sakura by the hand and went outside. He took her down towards the lake where they spent the remainder of the break together.

By the time Sakura got to her next class, she willed the red color in her face to leave. She didn't entirely succeed and got whistled at, which she didn't find to be fun at all now that it was finally happening to her. Funny, all those times when she had imagined boys to whistle as she walked by, she thought she'd enjoy it.

During Second break, Sakura didn't even bother going inside the cafeteria to get food and drinks. Instead, she waited for Deidara to come out with stuff and together they sought their privacy once again. The few onlookers that tried to follow them were efficiently scared away with a nasty glare from Deidara—which made Sakura feel totally safe for some reason, because she knew no one would dare hurt her with Deidara near her. At least, they wouldn't physically injure her...

These dark thoughts were chased away by her blond boyfriend once they had finished their lunch. Sakura had never been with anyone before and she could now safely assume that she knew what 'taken your breath away' could really entail. Deidara _definitely_ had _tons_ of experience. He wasn't pushing anything and she was incredibly relieved because of that, but the things he said to her were totally new. Most of the time she didn't know what to reply. And dammit, she wanted her blushing to stop!

When the remainder of the lessons had ended, they went to Detention together. Along with around thirty others. Needless to say, the room was more than crowded. And so, when Ibiki forbade them all to communicate at all, the silence that weigh down on them was nearly deafening. It was almost like a physical pressure. The one strange thing that kept bugging Sakura, was where Sasori was. He had gotten his punishment too, right? Surely he couldn't have been made an exception just because he couldn't walk.

Sakura spent dinner with Deidara as well, but after that he finally wished her goodnight, because he had things to do with his friends. After one last kiss Deidara went away, leaving Sakura on her own. The cafeteria suddenly became eerie without Deidara's presence, so Sakura quickly left afterwards. She decided to go visit Sasori and went on her way after getting him his usual sandwiches and juice.

As always, minus that one particular time when his grandmother had been there, she found Sasori alone in his room. Gaara had been removed from the room and brought back to his own, which left the remaining redhead truly in solitude. For the first time since she had started making it a habit to come see him, she could spot a hint of gratitude in his eyes upon her arrival. He accepted the food she brought him and began eating.

"You eat like you're starving over here," Sakura remarked quietly. Sasori just 'hmph'd at her, unable to speak because his mouth was full. "Careful. Don't choke on it," she continued softly. At this, she believed the response sounded a lot like 'shuddup' and she smiled.

When Sasori had finished his sandwiches he went busy with sipping his apple juice while staring at the girl sitting on _his_ bed. This was rare, since she was always mindful to sit on the bed to his right. She also didn't seem bothered by his presence as much as she would have before. He also noticed something else about her.

"You look happy."

The comment registered a couple of seconds later and a surprised Sakura turned around to face him. "I do?"

Sasori rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't be saying it if it weren't so." The girl mumbled a 'right' before he continued. "What happened?"

It was then that Sakura realized that Sasori didn't know yet. Of course he wouldn't know yet, unless he had had company... which didn't seem the case. She vaguely wondered how much time he spent alone...

"I've got a boyfriend."

At this, Sasori looked honestly surprised, which offended Sakura a little. Did he think it was that unlikely that she would ever have a boyfriend? The look of surprise faded soon and was replaced by a neutral expression, but Sakura didn't miss the quick passing of bitterness and... jealousy?

"Who's the lucky guy?"

His voice betrayed none of his emotions, but for some reason the sentence carried a bitter undertone. Sakura found that she silently hoped he was a little envious. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but when she told him just who exactly it was that was now officially dating her, she swore he looked envious. She really did.

"What? That brat? You let him—" He cut himself off there, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before letting it out with a sigh. However, his glare didn't disappear when he looked at her again. "I..." He shut his lips, looking up at the ceiling before directing his gaze towards her. "I.. I'm really..." He then groaned out of frustration and gave up on what he was about to say. He looked her straight in her eyes and told her: "I'm not going to say 'I'm really happy for you' because I'm not. That guy..." Sasori had to admit it to himself as he closed his eyes. He was angry at Deidara. The brat had taken _her_ as his girlfriend?

But why was he angry? Why was it his problem? Why did he care about it? It wasn't like he wanted her for himself... right? It wasn't like he actually liked her. But even though he was telling himself this, he couldn't deny he felt the indescribable need to make her leave that blond brat he thought he knew so well.

"That guy isn't serious. You can't trust that guy... You... He..." He just stopped. Trying to make someone you've hung out with for years look bad just... didn't sit right with him. There had to be another way... But how would he make Sakura understand that Deidara wasn't good for her?

"You don't want me together with him?"

Sasori shook his head slowly.

"You wanted me to be with you?"

He looked up and met her eyes. Was that what he wanted? So many thoughts were swarming his head... It made him feel like he was going insane. Already he could feel the headache coming up. Sighing, he lay down on the bed tiredly. He couldn't look at her anymore. He brought his arm up and placed it over his eyes. His skin was nice and cold.

"I don't know. Just... just leave, Sakura. I need to think. Good night."

Wordlessly, Sakura got up and did as told.

Once left alone once again, Sasori put his arm back and let out a weary sigh. Okay, so he wasn't going to think about _why_ he wanted her to leave Deidara, he was just going to think about the _how_ part. There had to be a way to show her... Surely there must be something for her to know about Deidara that would either leave her heartbroken or make her hate him. He had known Deidara for such a long time now. He knew nearly everything. All the good and the bad. What had Deidara done that was so unspeakably horrible...

And then it hit him. It wasn't even something unspeakable. It wasn't even something so bad you'd put someone in jail for. It wasn't even something from the past. It was something quite recent... And Sasori was sure it would make her change her mind about Deidara.

He stole her diary, the one thing she treasured most.

* * *

That Friday, March 27th, the day went by in a blur. It had occurred to Sakura that she had totally forgotten about her birthday, which was on the 28th. Then again, it wasn't like she was going to have a big party or something. The only ones she wanted to celebrate her birthday with were Deidara and Sasori... though she was probably going to have to do that separately, since Sasori didn't seem too fond of Deidara anymore nowadays. Sakura didn't know whether or not she should ask Sasori that evening, but decided she was just going to wait and find out when the time came.

After Detention she and Deidara ate together just like they had the previous day. She had already told Deidara about her oncoming birthday and her wishes for it to remain private, and he had agreed. She hadn't told him about Sasori yet, though.

After dinner, Deidara took her to her room where they locked themselves in, preventing any embarrassing situations from happening. While she and Deidara were having loads of fun, Sakura simply lost track of time...

Elsewhere, for the first time since Sakura's first visit, after a long day of solitude, Sasori found his evening to be lonely as well.

"Sakura..." The girl lying on the bed didn't respond. "Sakura," was heard again, followed by a little shaking. The guy leaning over her sighed, then opted for something else. He moved his face down, opened his mouth slightly and licked the exposed flesh of the girl's neck. Now this got a reaction.

She moaned softly and stirred soon after. The guy relished in the sound and chuckled in her ear, which caused her to wake fully. Her eyes opened and when she realized where she was and who was hovering over her, she shot up in an instant.

"Deidara! Um, what were you doing?" Their noses almost touched and the blond before her smiled.

"Waking you, hmm." He then rubbed his nose against hers, making her smile as well. "Happy birthday."

Sakura's eyes widened as she remembered. It was Saturday already. It was the 28th. Her birthday. "Thank you," she replied. In a bold move, she quickly gave him a kiss on his lips and smiled at him. "So, what did you buy me?"

"Buy you?" the blond responded, moving away from her and cocking his head. "I'm not buying you anything, spoiled little brat."

Sakura wouldn't have tolerated anyone saying that to her, but that big grin on his face was a sign he didn't mean any of it, plus: She loved his stupid remarks and his stupid, sexy smile.

"No," Deidara continued. "I already have something you want."

"Oh really," Sakura laughed, "And what might that be?"

"It's sitting right in front of you, hmm."

The girl blinked and looked around. There was nothing in front of her. She looked back up and met his eyes. "Um, am I blind, or...?" He was sighing. Why was he sighing?

Deidara came forward again and lay himself down on top of her, making her lie on the bed. "Silly girl." He stretched his body and then lay limp, still making sure she wasn't crushed underneath his weight. His sky blue eyes locked with her brilliant green ones. "You're not blind, love. You are naive."

Sakura frowned. This was supposed to make her feel better or something? The blond pecked her cheek and cuddled close to her.

"You do know, don't you? I've known for a long time now... ever since that first day."

_Known what?_ Sakura questioned herself. That first day... he probably meant the day when she had hung out with both him and Sasori. It was the first day she had gotten so much attention from boys. The first time they seemed to compete for her attention. It was the day she had gotten her first kiss. Whatever had happened in the days that followed, it had started that day. If she had only never met those boys that fateful first day, she would have never gotten in the peril she had now. On the other hand, she would likely not be able to say she had a boyfriend.

Or maybe she _would_ be able to say that. Eventually... maybe eventually she would have found someone else. Someone like Sasuke, or Naruto.

But that wasn't the case now. No... Now she had Deidara, and though she didn't know what to think of him sometimes, she also knew she really liked him... loved him.

"I think you've thought about it long enough now, hmm."

The words shook Sakura out of her thoughts. What was she supposed to think about again? Okay, this was embarrassing... "...I'm sorry?"

Deidara felt like hitting his head, but he composed himself because he knew how Sakura was, zoning out all the time. And so he cuddled his girlfriend some more. "I guess I'll just have to point you to the facts then, hmm."

He was silent then, leaving Sakura to wait anxiously for his words. And when they came, she didn't know what to say.

"You want my body, hmm. And so I'm giving it to you. I'm yours... all yours."

This was exactly what Sakura meant with him saying just the things that got her speechless. What was she supposed to say to this? Thank you, I'll gladly accept your body? Wow, thanks, I've always wanted that? _Oh yes, come here!_

Oh great, she actually had to blush at that last thought.

Meanwhile, Deidara was watching the emotions pass on Sakura's face with amusement. Only when he started stroking her cheek—'accidentally' brushing past her lips—she turned her head and looked at him in astonishment. She opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single coherent word. Deidara only grinned, having trouble holding in his laughter. "You don't need to say anything, hmm. I know you love it."

After a while, the thought that Deidara, by offering her himself, might actually mean _having sex_, finally crossed Sakura's mind. She swallowed, which the blond guy heard. "What's that, hmm? Nervous?

"Dei..." How was she going to go about this. "Um... what did you, did you—" Oh dammit, not now. She took a deep breath, and spoke. "Did you just mean... you're going to... have sex with me..."

Deidara barely heard those last words, seeing that the volume of her voice went down and down the farther the sentence got. "Have sex with you, hmm? You want that?"

Sakura cursed his big and inquisitive eyes, accompanied by a hopeful smile. Hopeful, dammit. "I, uh... I don't know." Is that really what she wanted? This was her birthday after all. It would be even more special. Not that she considered her birthday to be that very special, but still. On the first day of her seventeenth, getting it on with her first boyfriend. Hot, sexy boyfriend. And it was obvious he wanted it.

Much more time to think after this, she didn't get. As far as Deidara's thoughts went, an 'I don't know' could mean either 'yes' or 'no'. It was still undecided, but perhaps with a little persuasion he could turn her answer into a _yes_. And so he began to meticulously lick, nibble and kiss her jaw line and neck, down until he reached her collarbone where he went up her neck again, leaving a hickey.

Sakura couldn't help it: She moaned and tangled her fingers in Deidara's hair. It just felt so good. So... very... good... Gods, she wanted him to continue.

...But this wasn't having sex. It was just kissing... and other things. But nothing too... dangerous. Of course this would feel good, because he wasn't really hurting her by kissing and sucking her skin. But making love was very different. At least, that's what she thought.

"Does having sex hurt?"

Her voice sounded so fragile in that moment that Deidara immediately stopped with what he was doing. He noticed her muscles were tensing, and the look in her eyes told him this was a big, big issue for her. Which he should have known from her diary. Deidara got off of her, sat next to her and pulled her against him. He held her securely in his arms and gave her a kiss on her forehead before he began speaking. "How much do you know? I'm not going to have to give you the talk, right?"

Sakura looked at him and smiled slightly as she saw the apprehension on his face. "No, you don't. I just need to know... you know."

"Well," Deidara said slowly, "It doesn't necessarily need to hurt, hmm. With some girls it does, others it doesn't. And of course there's some... preparation I'll do that'll make it all so much more pleasurable for you, hmm. I can't guarantee it won't hurt, because there's only so much I can do, but... I think you get the point, no?" He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

The girl nodded. "Yeah..." And then, after some contemplation, "Say, if it does hurt... and we would, you know, now. And, um... would I still be able to walk the rest of the day? I mean, I don't want my whole day to be ruined..."

"Yeah," Deidara agreed. "That'd suck." He mulled it over for a couple of seconds before giving his opinion. He looked her in the eyes as he spoke. "We could do it tonight? That way, we've got the whole day to have fun together, hmm."

After a moment, Sakura nodded carefully. "Yes." She really agreed to it. She really... Well, she really made Deidara happy, by the looks of it. She smiled at him, a little nervously, but still: She smiled. She could see he appreciated it by the gleam in his eyes, and of course the one thing that really couldn't be missed: His big grin, teeth showing.

Some time later, after having relished in the comfortable silence in each other's presence, Deidara spoke up. "You know where I'm going to take you today?" The girl shook her head, no. "I believe you haven't been there yet, hmm," he continued slowly, making Sakura frown at his procrastination.

"Deidara, just tell me!" she ordered with a smile, not getting why he was being so difficult.

"Ah, yes," he answered, looking at the ceiling. Then, finally, after having let the girl wait long enough: "...the hot springs, hmm."

* * *

After having had lunch and having packed the needed stuff, Deidara took Sakura out. The weather was great, all sunny and warm with barely any wind at all; in other words: It was a perfect day to go out and enjoy yourself in the hot springs. The hot springs were located in the northern part of the school grounds, surrounded by the woods near the edge of the terrain. Having passed by the lake and the school buildings, they entered the woods and neared their destination.

As it turned out, they weren't the only ones who had decided that today would be a wonderful day for the hot springs. The place wasn't that overly crowded, but there were still a lot of people around. More than enough to say: Well, we're definitely not the only ones.

Then again, Deidara and Sakura didn't mind much. They weren't only the only people, but they weren't the only couple either. Because of this, they expected to be able to blend in nicely—and they did. Amongst everyone else, their presence wouldn't seem out of the ordinary. That is, if you disregarded the fact that Deidara was someone everybody knew by face, name and status, and after everything that had happened, people also knew Sakura. It so happened that some of the other persons that had been enjoying the natural springs had been looking out for them, and unbeknownst to the two, started eying them the moment they came in.

Deidara watched his girlfriend with an appreciative gaze when she walked outside, seeing she had changed into her red bikini. He grinned when she caught him staring, then turned around, laced his fingers behind his back and walked away. Sakura came up beside him, a light blush visible on her cheeks, her lips curled into a small smile. She didn't mind the way he looked at her if she could look at him as well. And it wasn't a pain to look at him. Oh no, he looked really good in his swimming pants if Sakura had anything to say about it. Even better was when Deidara noticed other girls swooning at him and he decided to make clear he was taken by pulling Sakura to him by her hand and giving her a kiss, where-after they walked along hand in hand. Though Sakura felt a bit awkward kissing in public, she actually liked that Deidara let the world know she was the one for him and no one else.

After the two had spent some time playing around in the water, they retreated to a quieter spot behind a large rock, granting them some privacy. Sakura was very much enjoying being around her boyfriend, but she also remembered some very important little questions she still wanted an answer to. And she longed for honest answers, at that. She really didn't want to think that Deidara would lie to her only to get on her good side, so she gave those notions little thought and told him what was on her mind. She wanted to know what she was getting into, even though she also realized she was a little late with that.

Deidara stared at her after she had spoken her first question. It took a while for him to respond. When he did, after carefully contemplating his answer, it wasn't really a direct response. "Why do you need to know, hmm?" Beating around the bush.

"Because I want to know the truth. Tell me." Her green eyes stared into his blue ones intently. "Please."

Right then, Deidara wondered if he should actually, honestly answer her. After all, she _was_ his girlfriend. If there was anyone he ought to be honest towards, it should be her. Ought to, should be... He really didn't like to conform to things that _ought to_... He sighed, looked away from her and stared at the sky. The entire atmosphere between them sure had changed in a matter of seconds. Why did she have to bring it up anyway? Why was it important? Sakura didn't urge him on, she merely waited for him to tell her what she wanted to hear.

He blinked, something dawning upon him. What she wanted to hear. He'd tell her just that. Maybe he'd even twist it in such a way that would tie her closer to him. Right now, he didn't really care about the Akatsuki anymore anyway. Well then, decision made.

"Well, you probably had some ideas about what happened... And I bet you concluded the right thing as well." The blond turned his head and glanced at her, seeing her her watch him too. "I was there. Pain dislocated his fingers, Hidan kicked him around. I'll admit to you here, right now and only now, that I hit him too. Don't even comment on it, don't make a big deal out of it... Just don't be troublesome, hmm. It's over and done with, in the past, to be forgotten. That's it."

Sakura was silent. She tried to reign in the expression of shock that threatened to show itself on her face and hoped she was succeeding somewhat. He just admitted to her what happened, confirming what she had been thinking all along, and then he told her not to make a big deal out of it? "Deidara," she started when she regained her composure, "Lee had a concussion. You were the one who hit him and you tell me not to comment on it? What do you expect me to do? Just take it and accept it?"

Sakura felt herself get angry at him and was about to shout, but Deidara cut her off. "I didn't punch him into a concussion, hmm. I mean, I'm sure his head hurt when I was done, but it wasn't that bad. I've done worse."

"Worse?" Sakura repeated after him. "Worse? How could you possible do _worse_?" She swallowed some nasty comments she was about to make but thought better of it at the last moment. Instead she opted for glaring at him.

And Deidara, he just glared back. His expression wasn't murderous like when she had first met him, but he sure was annoyed and it showed. "Tell me, Sakura. What would you have done if those damn happy go luckies had told you to ignore someone you actually liked?"

"What are you telling me? That it was actually peer pressure that made you do what you did?"

Deidara shrugged dismissively. "I guess. Perhaps. Maybe, hmm. We Akatsuki aren't so nice." And then, in an afterthought, "But you already knew that, right?" She didn't respond, her lips closed in a firm line. "I'm not shattering your naive, beautiful, perfect dream of the world, I hope? Sakura?"

At this, Sakura brought her hands up and faced away from him, leaning against the rock. "Peer pressure," she muttered. That might very well have been the stupidest reason ever.

She was silent for a while and Deidara didn't feel the need to say anything either. However, after some time the silence began to bug him. "Are you not going to talk to me anymore, hmm?" He made sure to say it in the most patronizing tone he could muster.

"Shut up."

He couldn't help but grin. She was such a child, still. Then he remembered something, something that might just help him get her anger removed from him and redirected towards someone else. For the most part, at least. It probably wasn't the nicest way to repay a friendship he'd had for quite some time, but... Well, they had never been on the best of terms. It was more something along the lines of tolerating each other anyway. With what he was about to say, the remains of their friendship would likely be ruined, but hell... he supposed anything was allowed in love and war.

"You know, Sakura... The one who probably gave Lee that concussion, hmm... Well, Sasori told me how he relished in that last kick he gave to Lee's head."

* * *

A loud sigh resounded in the quiet room, to be heard by nobody other than the one who made the sound. Sasori had maneuvered the blanket off him, leaving him half naked on the bed. The weather was amazing... for people he imagined running around outside, diving into the lake, enjoying themselves at the hot spring. But for him, locked up in a room with the sun shining inside with its torching rays, no curtains to block them, not a single window opened to let in some fresh air... Sasori felt like he was dying. It was too damn hot. The heat was unbearable.

If only somebody had shown up, he could have asked them to open the window. If Sakura would show herself, she'd definitely bring him gallons of water to keep him healthy and well. She was such a caring person. He hoped she would show up, but it had already been almost two days since she last came to him. He wondered whether Deidara had anything to do with that. The thought alone made him frustrated. No matter in what way he looked at it... Whether Deidara was serious or just toying around with her, whether he actually liked and appreciated her or just did it to annoy him... Sasori couldn't take it. He wanted to hurt that blond bitch of a supposed friend he'd had these past few years.

He didn't particularly like to admit to himself it was highly probable that it was jealousy that made him feel this way, but right there, all alone and the only moving company he had being his shadow, he overcame his pride and just admitted to it. He wanted Sakura for himself. But it didn't seem like she'd ever return his feelings. Especially now she was with _him_.

Another sigh escaped him. Maybe he should just try to get some sleep. Why torture himself to endure this warmth when he could also spend his time in the blissful abyss of unconsciousness. Sasori looked outside wearily. He pitied people living in the desert. It definitely wasn't his thing. He didn't mind moderately warm weather, but this was just too much. Far too much... He didn't feel so well. As if something bad was going to happen. It was either that premonition, or he was actually getting sick.

* * *

"Fine, hmm. Go entertain yourself for a while. I'm getting something to drink." With this, Deidara got away from the rock and waded through the water, then swam to the water's edge and got out. He walked over the slippery tiles carefully, making his way to the bar. While he was waiting for his turn to order, he mulled Sakura's reaction to his words over in his head. She seemed shocked, looked angry, betrayed. The next moment she didn't believe what he had said and accused him of lying to her. And that's where he decided to let her be for a while and get something to drink.

"A beer," Deidara told the guy when it was his turn. He got a strange look and knew he was about to be questioned even before the guy started talking. "Zip it." The dangerous look in Deidara's eyes made the guy shut up and give the blond what he wanted.

Taking a gulp of the refreshing liquid, Deidara walked away. Hopefully Sakura had gotten a little happier in the time that he had been gone. If not, he'd be forced to use other methods. Not that she'd mind. Deidara chuckled to himself and took another drag from his beer when all of a sudden his drink was snatched away from him.

Immediately agitated, Deidara turned around and came face to face with a fat kid he recognized. It was Jirobo, a member of the Sound. "Hey fatso," the blond began, speaking dangerously low. "Wanna give that back, hmm?"

Jirobo made a derisive sound and threw the bottle through the air to someone standing behind Deidara. Whirling around, the blond glared at the person in front of him. Well, if that wasn't Kisame's annoying roommate, Suigetsu.

Suigetsu, a white haired sophomore who was notoriously known for messing around with people and getting into fights, grinned at Deidara unashamedly. "I don't think I'm gonna give this back to you." When the Akatsuki closed in on him with narrowed eyes and a murderous aura around him, Suigetsu's grin grew wider and he downed the contents of the bottle of beer. When he was done, he threw the bottle away just before he was lifted into the air, Deidara holding him up by his collar. "What are you gonna do, Gaydara? Huh?" He burst into a laughing fit right there, angering his assailant even more.

"You wanna see what I can do, hmm?" An evil grin manifested itself on Deidara's face as he quickly pulled one of his fists back and prepared to punch the white haired male's pretty features into oblivion.

But, strangely enough, before that happened his mind registered a dull 'thud' and his vision went black.

"Woah, thanks fatso. That was close."

* * *

It wasn't until a good fifteen minutes had passed before Sakura allowed herself to wonder what was keeping Deidara. Her anger had gone by now, and she thought it wasn't entirely fair of her to just deem Deidara a liar when he might as well have spoken the truth. It was just that... she didn't want to believe Sasori could have done that. He didn't seem like the irrational, act before you think type of person. That was more like Deidara, whether it be actually true or not.

"Aw, what's this? Sitting by yourself all alone... Did your boyfriend dump you?"

The voice came from above and Sakura looked up to see a vaguely familiar face. That red hair, one side messy and the other side straight... But she didn't wear her glasses and her voice wasn't thick with fake sweetness. "Hey, um... Your room is near mine, right?" Almost as soon as she had said it Sakura berated herself. Ino had told her to watch out for this girl, so should she be friendly with her?

"Yeah. And you are... Sakura. The one who knocked on my door trying to get me to help you get rid of Sasori. Am I right?" Her tone was... almost friendly. It surprised Sakura.

"Yes, I am. And... I was, yeah." _And you were the one who gave me a look that could kill,_ Sakura finished in her mind.

A second later the red haired girl slipped off the rock and into the water, right next to Sakura. "And I am Karin," she said sweetly. "And I wanted to talk to you about some things. You know, girl talk?"

"Um—"

"You mind if some friends of mine joined in?" Two girls appeared on Sakura's other side, smiling at her and saying hi. "So, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you, Sakura," Karin continued. "You see, you've been hanging out with Sasori and Deidara a lot lately. Don't deny it, we've seen you, everyone has."

"I-I'm not denying it." Sakura felt a little intimidated by this Karin's presence. The way she talked, the way she carried herself. And what did she want anyway?

"That's good," came Karin's response. "That makes this all a lot easier. I can get my point across faster this way." She draped an arm around Sakura's shoulders while one of the other two girls, someone with long black hair, came up in front of her. Her face was vaguely familiar too... Sakura swore she had seen her around somewhere. "Look Sakura," Karin said, her voice carrying a more serious tone this time. "I don't know if you've realized yet, but I—"

"We," the black haired girl corrected her.

"Don't interrupt me!" Karin's eyes flashed as she turned her head sharply to look at the girl who had spoken. "But we," she continued with a softer voice, talking to Sakura again, "have a problem with you. Our group, the Sound, has a problem with you, and I personally do as well. Do you get why?"

Sakura didn't know what to say. Looking around slightly, she saw she was trapped by these three girls. "I... don't know."

"You truly have no idea?" Karin questioned. She then made a disapproving noise and shook her head slowly while muttering a pityingly "Sakura, Sakura..." She heaved a sigh. "Do you two want to explain? I really don't feel like going through the trouble."

"Hey Sakura," the black haired girl spoke up, raking a hand through her long hair. "You know we of the Sound really dislike those Akatsuki bastards, right? So, keeping that in mind, do you think we would appreciate you affiliating with those idiots?"

The pink haired girl swallowed, shaking her head a little. Where was this conversation going? Were they going to hurt her? Right now would be the perfect moment for Deidara to show up and chase them away with his almighty glare and volatile personality...

"So Sakura," she continued, getting closer to her, "Now you know this, do you think you're going to stop being with them?"

Sakura didn't answer.

The black haired girl placed her hands on either side of Sakura's head against the rock's surface. "Or are you planning to tell them about us three trying to persuade you to leave them? So that they can get payback and hurt us?"

"Oh, but she'll need to know our names for that to happen," the third girl spoke.

"Well, in that case... I'm Kin," the black haired girl said, smirking lightly. "And that's Tayuya to your left. Now you could go and tell the Akatsuki our names and they could ruin us. Wouldn't that be perfect for you? Your own little bodyguards."

"Don't you feel _special_," Tayuya sneered, getting closer as well. "Why would they want you anyway? I understand they have Konan with them, after all, she's strong and such a bitch. But you... you're so weak. So fragile. What the hell's so special about you?"

"I feel you there," Kin agreed. "She's so..." She shuddered, frowning in distaste. "You seem so worthless. I can only think of one reason why Deidara and Sasori are lusting after you."

Sakura frowned, blushing a little. For them to say it like that... It felt so wrong. They made it feel so wrong.

Kin shared a glance with Tayuya and they both smiled, then turned to look at Sakura again. "They've always had this little game going on."

"Yeah," Tayuya laughed, "Right, Karin?"

"Shut the fuck up, tramp." Karin splashed water in Tayuya's face, who sputtered and splashed some back.

"Anyway, they always go for the new girls, the innocent ones." Kin ignored the other two who were starting a splashing war behind her. "You're a new girl, Sakura. This is only your second week here. And you're innocent, I can tell." She leaned in closer, until her mouth was right beside Sakura's ear. "You're a virgin, aren't you?"

Sakura stiffened and Kin chuckled, knowing she was right.

"You know they're just using you, right? Each of them wants to get you first. You're the first prize any guy would want. You mean nothing to them. It may all seem so romantic to you, so sweet and cute and all lovey dovey, but in truth it's all fake. Everything they're telling you is fake. It's all just a game. And... I don't know whether or not any of them has already won, but it would seem like Deidara is the lucky winner, isn't he? Tell me, did he already make plans for your first time?"

In a burst of energy, Sakura roughly pushed Kin away from her, feeling tears make their way outside and rubbing them away with her hand. Kin openly laughed at her.

Sakura felt sick. There was this horrible feeling in her gut that made her want to curl up somewhere quiet and cry. She didn't know why she even believed Kin's words, but they hurt so bad. It were her worst fears being confirmed. She didn't want them to be true, but for some reason everything Kin had said nagged at her mind. It was as if the more she wanted the words not to be true, the more her mind began to doubt it.

"Aw, you made her cry, Kin! That's so bad!" Tayuya's laughing rang loudly in the air.

Sakura looked at the three of them momentarily through her moist green eyes before making the decision she wanted to get out... get away. She turned around and swam around the rock to the edge, got out and quickly went to the dressing rooms. Once she was dressed, she left the hot springs and went on her way towards the dorms. As she ran through the woods, her mind was swarming with thoughts. Thoughts about the things those three witches had said to her... Thoughts about the things Deidara had told her, and the things Sasori had said... Ino's warnings, all the stares she got whenever she was with either the redhead or the blond... Disgust, pity, jealousy...

The ground she walked on gradually changed into a slope, leading down towards the lake. Sakura ran to the water's edge and skidded to a stop, completely out of breath. Her legs buckled, tired from the run, so she let herself sink to the ground into the grass. She had never been any good with sports. Absolutely exhausted, Sakura leaned forward and wove her fingers in the strands of grass, panting all the while, trying to catch her breath.

It took a few moments for her to regain her composure. When she did, she sat up and stared out over the lake. The school buildings and the dorm buildings could be seen over the trees, but Sakura had no intention of facing people just yet. She needed some time to sort things out for herself, get some clarity, make decisions. Had Deidara ever been real with her?

"_Deidara is the lucky winner, isn't he? Tell me, did he already make plans for your first time?"_

That was what that mean witch Kin had said. And maybe she had just said those things to make her doubt, but her sentence had been spot on correct. Deidara was the one she had ended up with, and he... and her... They were about to... that very night.

Sakura felt like she was about to drown. Was she nothing but a prize? Had she been part of nothing but a game? A mean, horrible game where two handsome guys played with the feelings of a girl, trying to win her over, and the winner could have the ultimate prize... her virginity.

The first tear since she had come down to the lake ran down Sakura's cheek. All Deidara wanted, all he ever cared for... was to get into her pants. All those sweet words, soft touches, tender kisses... they meant nothing to him.

_"What does a kiss mean to you, Deidara?" She felt something warm and wet trail up her neck that sent shivers through her body. He knew what he was doing. Casanova. "Kissing means as much to me as holding hands." _

Nothing. It meant nothing to him. Holding hands? Such childish gestures were way below him, only to be used for manipulation of a girl's heart.

"_That guy isn't serious. You can't trust that guy... You... He..." _

Sasori tried to warn her. Maybe he and Deidara made a promise not to tell her, no matter what. But then, why did Sasori even try in the first place? Sakura sighed and wiped her tears away from her cheek with the back of her hand. For the last week, Sasori had been cooped up in that room on his own. Gaara never did count as company to him anyway. Sakura never actually dwelled on it, but perhaps she was the only one visiting Sasori. Maybe... maybe he had actually begun to like her for her, and not for some stupid game. And maybe that was why he wanted to tell her.

Sakura felt herself smile as she hung her head down.

"What's the smile for, Sakura?"

A hand took hold of pink hair and yanked the girl up. With a surprised cry, Sakura suddenly found herself in an unbreakable hold, her arms being pinned behind her back. Standing around her were Karin and Kin, so Sakura guessed that it was Tayuya holding her in her grip.

Karin and Kin came up to stand way too close for Sakura's liking, an unnerving smile on both of their faces. "Hello again," Karin began, voice thick with fake sweetness. "Don't mind Tayuya, she's just holding you back so you won't escape. You see, we weren't done yet. Kin?"

"My pleasure." Out of her pant's pocket, out came a lighter. Kin held it up and turned it around, letting the sun catch the various sides, making it gleam brilliantly with light. "Isn't it shiny?" Her dark eyes met Sakura's.

"Just like her head will be," Tayuya laughed.

Kin sighed. "So lame, Tayuya. You're spoiling it."

"Shut up. I'm sure she's getting ideas now and it's fun messing with her head."

The black haired girl emitted an annoyed sound before looking at the one behind Sakura pointedly. "Tell me you did not just make that pun on purpose."

"Girls, stop it," Karin intervened. "Now, are you gonna do it Kin, or am I? I wouldn't mind watching, and I know you—"

"Will love it! Thank you!"

"Stop interrupting me!" Karin almost growled and Kin held her hands up, muttering a "yeah, yeah."

"Now, Sakura," Kin started, coming up into Sakura's face. "Do you like your hair?"

Sakura swallowed as Kin raked her fingers through her pink locks. That smile on her face was eerie... So scary. Something really bad was going to happen, she could feel it in her blood. What was it with her hair? Some horrid thoughts went through Sakura's mind, vivid images of what Kin could do with that lighter... and her hair. She swallowed again.

"Sakura, answer me."

"...Yes."

"Good. Then I bet you'd be real scared when I do... this."

* * *

It was evening, the sky was getting dark. Sasori had sighed multiple times ever since he noticed the heat was going away and the air was cooling down, his sighs only signs purely out of gratitude to whatever deity out there. He thought it was a miracle he survived the day. Luckily, Shizune had come and given him a whole box with water, juices and a couple of sandwiches to last through the day. He was sure that if it hadn't been for her supplies, he'd have died. He disliked Shizune, and not even a little, but she had earned some points in his book with this move she pulled.

Sakura hadn't shown up yet and Sasori felt disappointed. He found he really had come to depend on her company that past week, as sad and weak as that sounded to him. Why should anyone be dependent on company from others? Why couldn't people just be happy on their own? A clipped laugh escaped him when he thought about the possible answer. Humans are herd animals. It's in their nature to stick together and avoid loneliness. After all, being on your own meant being an easy target for predators. And as Sasori thought about this, he realized this very same thing applied to high schools as well, or anyplace else where lots of people came together. The loners had to watch out, for they couldn't count on any protection from others.

Because humans were weak by nature. The only way they could ever accomplish anything was in a group. Sasori almost pitied himself for belonging to such a weak race. "Well," he spoke aloud, to no one but himself, "At least we've got intelligence going for us."

And in his case, money too. Experience told him that those people essentially ruled the world; the ones with lots of money and enough brains to use it the right way. If he looked at it this way, Sasori had to admit his life had much potential to become something greater than any average human's.

He let out a breath languidly before nestling himself further into his blanket. Shizune had opened his window to let in a breeze, something very much appreciated at the time. But now, now it let in a chilly night breeze, somewhat heavy with tiny bits of moisture—the way the air always felt before it was going to storm. It was something to be expected after such a warm day. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasori hoped it was going to be a thunderstorm with lots of lightning shooting through the sky. The lack of curtains would finally pay off that way, showing him a spectacle he had rarely ever seen.

That is, if he hadn't fallen asleep beforehand...

It was a while later when Sasori woke up from a door being closed. Yawning, he sat up slightly to see who it was, flinching a little when he put on the lamp situated on the stand beside his bed. Squinting his eyes, he tried to see who entered the room.

He didn't recognize the person at first. It was a girl, that much was obvious, but for the rest... Sasori wiped his tired eyes with the back of his hand. "Who is it? Do you know what time it is? Damn..."

It took a while before the answer came, the girl not moving from her place in front of the door. And then, finally, came the soft voice. "It's me."

He recognized that voice. Sasori's eyes opened again and he focused on the girl. "Really? Come closer, I can't see you." He beckoned her to come, told her to sit somewhere. The soft light coming from the lamp on his nightstand wasn't all that great. He supposed the lamp was for reading purposes only, or for changing the mood to a more homely one as a contrast to the main lighting that reminded of a hospital room.

When Sakura came closer, and very hesitantly at that, Sasori finally got a good look at her. He also understood why he hadn't recognized her at first. He didn't see any pink on her.

"I brought you this," Sakura said, holding up a bag with drinks and a sandwich. "But, I see you already have..."

"Yeah, Shizune came this afternoon."

"I see."

Silence. And then, "Come, sit down."

She did as told, setting the bag down on the ground and sitting down on the bed to Sasori's right. She didn't look him in the eyes, avoiding his stare, looking down most of the time. The only thing Sasori's focus was on, was the soft looking hat she wore, fitting snugly around her scalp. Apart from some small strands, there was no hair to be seen.

"Sakura, what happened to your hair?" He was tired and really didn't feel up to being all subtle about it. What he hadn't counted on was her starting to cry. Sasori felt like he could slap himself. _Good going, wise guy._ "Come here." She didn't respond, so he reached over and pulled her to him by grabbing hold of her arm. He didn't miss the sharp flinch. When she sat on his bed, he shifted so he was sitting up and held her in his arms. "Shh..."

After a while, her sobs went down to Sasori's relief. He assured himself she had calmed down when he reached for her sleeves and pulled them up, revealing some ugly bruises to him. Someone had held her in a tight grip, by the looks of it. "

What's this, Sakura?"

"I struggled," she whispered back to him. "They... they burned..."

Her breathing began to get irregular and Sasori stilled her once more by rubbing her back and rocking slightly back and forth. So that was what happened. Some persons got hold of her and burned her hair off. How immature. Sasori rolled his eyes and couldn't help himself from saying: "Didn't your boyfriend protect you?"

He immediately regretted saying that. She cried big time. Sasori had to admit to himself he had never had to console anyone with such heart aching sadness. He started feeling sorry for her, something he couldn't remember the last time of doing. At the same time he was also curious; What had happened to Deidara? Somewhere in a sadistic part of his mind, he hoped it was something bad.

"We... We kinda had a fight, and he left, and he didn't come back. And then they... they came. I left, but they followed me, and they burned... they burned my hair." With one of his hands cradling her face, Sasori could feel new tears. "Then they left, and thank god, the lake!" She laughed lightly through her tears, remembering how she had jumped right in, saving her scalp from burning as well. "And later I saw him again... I saw..."

Sasori noticed she couldn't bring herself to say it, so he filled it in for her. "Deidara?"

She nodded, almost crying at the mere thought of him. "Yes, but he... he didn't even..." She couldn't help the tears from rolling down her cheeks. She could still see those cold eyes. It was just like when they first met on that staircase. He didn't care at all, and the words he told her were so mean. It hurt so bad. So very bad.

"And... and I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not, for forgetting to visit you. You warned me, you said..."

"That he'd be bad for you, I know."

"I'm so sorry... I'm sorry..."

"It's all right."

They sat together for a while, Sakura happy to have someone hold her who was being sincere, Sasori content to finally hold her in his arms after days of not having seen her. It wasn't until a while later, when it started raining and Sakura got up to close the window, that Sasori remembered what he had wanted to show Sakura ever since her last visit. So he called her to him, while bending over the side of his bed to reach for the object.

When he held it out for her to take, she could only stare in disbelief.

"Deidara gave it to me," Sasori explained. "It was about a week ago when he did."

She didn't respond, her eyes locked onto her diary.

Sasori didn't know what to say to her either, except perhaps apologies. "I realize I should have given you this earlier. I'm sorry."

Sakura shook her head solemnly, then slowly reached out to take her diary from his hands. When she held it in her own, she felt strangely empty. Here were her most innate thoughts, feelings and emotions, written down on paper, all read by stranger's eyes. Soiled. Blemished. This was not her sanctuary anymore. It wasn't safe.

She felt the strange urge to throw it away.

"He read it through... And I did, too. Again, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have."

Sakura raised her head and locked her green eyes with his hazel brown ones. She realized her expression was not something she even bothered to control now, so she was sure her disbelief showed. "Do you even mean that? Or are you lying to me too?"

Sasori was honest. Just, plain honest. "A week ago I wouldn't have meant it and I would have lied to you, without remorse. After all, when it comes down to it, you were the one who got me here. I resented you for that. I hated you. I wanted to hurt you as bad as you are now... with my bare hands if I could make it so. I'm a person who holds grudges."

He sighed, seeing Sakura frown, her eyes beginning to fill with tears once more. "You didn't know I read your diary, you didn't know _I knew_, but you felt my negative feelings towards you in the beginning and you kept coming back regardless. Despite your fear for me, you kept visiting me, trying to lighten the mood, giving me things to eat and drink when the ones who should were neglecting me. And... I appreciate that. I appreciate _you_. I honestly do. I don't feel resentment anymore. At least, not as much as I used to. And I'm sure it'll pass."

Sasori hoped the girl standing in front of him understood what he was trying to say. "You're worth my attention, Sakura. The Akatsuki haven't even so much as spared me a glance since I've been here. They were supposed to be my friends. And you, who by all means should have all right to be afraid of me, to dislike me... You went out of your way to be here." He could see she was having problems coping with this all.

She shook her head slightly. "That's just the kind of person I am. I care too much. Even for people who don't deserve it."

"I'm guessing that's me."

"Yes. Mostly. But I'm glad you've told me this."

The redhead sighed. "No problem." They both didn't speak for a couple of minutes until the silence became a little too pronounced. "But," Sasori started carefully, realizing that there was a possibility Sakura would walk out on him, "I'd like you... to get past it, like I have. I don't want to stop seeing you. And I'm glad Deidara's back to being the jerk I know he is. Don't let this be the end of it, please."

Sakura saw he was being earnest.

Then again, how many times had she thought that before, then came out betrayed? She was about ready to end it.

* * *

_And the worst part is_  
_Before it gets any better, we're headed for a cliff_  
_And in the free fall I will realize_  
_That I'm better off when I hit the bottom_

* * *

And this would be the End of Part I! Yay, finally, after such a long time! *pats myself on the head*

**¡** First off: Please review! I really want to know what you guys think **!**

Second: This won't be the end of this fic, because Part II is going to start soon^^ On my profile I've posted a short intro of about two sentences for each Part.

Third: This won't be the end of this setting. Far off in part III, school!Dei, school!Saso and school!Saku will be making appearances again.

If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask. Me wil answer gladly~ And some things... are just meant to remain mysteries.

And now, on to Sasori the wetboy! You excited yet? On to the killings! On to the drama! On to... Part II!


	16. II, 1: The Start

_Different worlds move together. The search for motives underneath the underneath... it has never been explained quite like this before. _

_In a modern city filled with skyscrapers and corruption, Sasori is going about his own underground life where there is no place for sympathy. _

_~*~.~*~  
_

Thank you for all your amazing reviews thus far!

This chapter marks the start of part II. Seeing that it's a long time ago, I suggest you re-read or skim chapter 2,_ Laconic little happenings_ once more, after all, this part of the story takes place in an entirely different setting.

So, please enjoy!

* * *

II

1, The Start  
_( .:of that we might not have wanted to begin:. )  
_

"Please introduce yourself."

"My name is Sasori Akasuna."

"...Okay. Nothing else? Likes, dislikes, hobbies?"

"..."

"Where are you from, Sasori?"

"Out of town."

Some chuckling was heard among the students in the classroom and the teacher held his hands up in defeat. "Alright, go have a seat."

He went to take a seat in the back row and wasn't heard for the rest of class. After a couple of minutes, the students turned their attention to other things and Sasori had his spotlight turned off. This left him in the perfect opportunity to observe his classmates, seeing that he didn't find the lesson material to be very challenging.

Then again, as he soon found out, high school really wasn't all that special. Within three classes he remembered why he hadn't minded quitting in the first place. People really had better things to do than trigonometry, basic science and this thing they found most important of all: Socializing, popularity, status. As if your future employer would care you were the head cheerleader in high school, or whether or not you were a nerd or a jock.

Such a petty society were these teenagers living in. The hierarchy at school was laughable; with guys, the ones with muscle were on top of the hierarchy and the ones with brains came lowest. With girls, the ones who painted their faces and whored themselves out were popular, and again the smart ones were degraded. As if they wanted to give the smart kids one final hard time in life before they would go off to college and become a well paid lawyer. Suck on that, brainless idiots.

During lunch Sasori had chosen an empty table in the noisy area. He looked down at his food and sighed. He couldn't believe why he had agreed to this... school thing. He didn't need school, he could do without just fine. He was better than any of these children bustling around. They were all so simple minded. Of course, spending time at a school was way better than spending time around that irritating blond brat, and he guessed that was what made it all worthwhile in the end.

In his last class he sat next to a girl with pink hair. He couldn't get his eyes off of it. It was hideous. He had the constant urge to take a handful of it and rip it off and burn the rest by setting it on fire with a lighter. How on earth could she be willing to walk around like that? As it turned out, he wasn't the only one thinking the monstrosity on her head should be killed. But those other kids weren't so subtle about it. Oh, children are so cruel.

When his last class ended Sasori sighed in relief and looked forward to sleep. The night before he hadn't gotten much sleep after he had gone to have dinner, so he planned to have plenty today.

"Hey, you're new here, aren't you?"

Sasori looked to his side where the pink haired girl appeared next to him. "I am," he answered her. "What is that on your head."

The small smile she wore disappeared. "It's my hair, and yes, it's natural and no, I'm not going to dye it and no, I'm not going to shave it off either."

"_You don't have to, because burning it would be a much better option,"_ Sasori told her in his head. But he stayed wisely silent as he briskly walked on, not enjoying her company.

She sighed out of frustration. "You're just like the rest, aren't you? Jerk."

He stopped and faced her. "People don't like you, do they?"

"What?"

"You think it's strange, with that thing on your head?"

"You stop—"

"If you wanted to fit in, to have friends, you'd do good to get rid of that monstrous color." He gave her a small smile.

"You don't even know me! I have friends! You know what? Never mind! Go sulk in your emo corner, you loner."

The smile stayed on his face, but his eyes narrowed a bit. "Excuse me?"

She started to smile now. "You think I didn't see you during lunch? You thought you were invisible or something? Everyone saw you sitting on your lonesome." She crossed her arms. "And you know what? You've got girlish features, red hair and natural dark eyelashes so it looks like you're using makeup." She chuckled a little and used a singsong voice for her next sentence. "You must be emo."

Sasori was silent, his smile still present on his face but his eyes conveyed bloody murder. He was not girly.

"So I'm sorry for trying to connect you to earth and try to be friendly with you... Whatever your name is." Her hand came up and she waved slightly. "Bye." And then she walked away.

The smile immediately wiped off his face as soon as she walked away, Sasori gritted his teeth. That wench actually dared to offend him. He'd get her later. And with that, he meant tomorrow.

* * *

And so, the next day, Sasori appeared on school once again. He made sure to be more 'there' during classes, getting the attention of other students, pissing a teacher off once, but making up by giving the answer to a tricky question no one else could get right, earning that teacher's praise.

During lunch, Sasori located the popular crowd right away, having observed everyone the day before. He walked up to their table and just winged it. The girls and guys sitting there looked at him questioningly when they noticed he actually had the guts to walk right towards them.

"Hey," Sasori greeted and gave them a charming smile. "I'm new. Can I sit here?"

"What?" The girls began to laugh. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely, you seem like my type of people."

"Oh man, you got to be kidding me," one of the guys said, shaking his head and grinning.

"I think he's cute," a cheerleader said. "Come, sit down."

The smile she gave him said more than words could ever say. Sasori grinned at her and sat down. Too easy.

The remainder of his classes were not very quiet. Already rumors went through the school saying there was this new kid who was accepted by the popular crowd on only his second day here. His name? Sasori. Apparently hanging out with those who were popular made him popular too.

The last class of the day arrived, along with a certain hideous pink haired freakish girl.

"Well hello, Sasori," she greeted him.

"Hello to you too, freak."

Classmates who heard this began to laugh and the girl glared at Sasori. "Getting confident, aren't we?"

"I simply took your words to heart," Sasori said.

"If that got you popular, then I'm sorry for telling you."

Sasori smirked when he glanced sidewards and saw her looking down at the book on her desk. She looked tired and worn. It was a nice look, one that he enjoyed. "What's this," he started softly, "Are you feeling down? Lonely? Emo?"

"Shut up, you are emo. No matter what kind of people you associate with."

This got her reactions from their other classmates, telling the 'freak' to stop calling Sasori an emo. She ignored all comments and didn't react to them. Meanwhile Sasori stared at her, smugly enjoying the kind of power he had gained so easily.

When class was over at 2:30 PM Sasori walked through the hallways when not surprisingly the girl came up beside him, just like the day before. She didn't say anything for a while and silently walked with him. Once they reached the garderobe, she finally opened her mouth. "Who are you anyway?"

"I believe you know my name, don't you?" Sasori spoke as he rummaged through the coats to search for his. He was sure he left it around there.

"Oh please," the girl said, having found her own coat and putting it on. "A name says nothing. Who are you?"

He sighed and walked to another rack, continuing his search. "As if I'd want you to know."

The sound of footsteps came closer and she soon stood near him. "Why don't you, emo?"

Sasori turned around. "You should stop that, girl."

"My name is Sakura."

"I'll try to forget you said that." He looked her up and down and raised an eyebrow. "As if your hair alone isn't bad enough, you're wearing _that_. You know red clashes horribly with pink, right?"

The girl named Sakura frowned. "At least I'm wearing a coat. Lost yours?" She smirked when his eyes narrowed a little, he turned around and walked away from her. "At least red is a color you can't get around! I never loose my coat." She walked behind him and saw him scanning the coats on the racks, most of them having very dull colors. "Let me guess... Your coat's color is black, isn't it, emo?"

The redhead abruptly turned around and poked his finger to her chest. "You are annoying."

She raised an eyebrow. "I am annoying? You're the one being mean to me. And don't poke my breast again."

He laughed out loud. "What breast?"

With a wild move she slapped his hand away. "Do you want to die?"

Sasori looked her in her eyes, which he noted were an unusual tint of green, and said, "Was that a threat? Do you even know what you're speaking of?"

"Do you?"

He stared. "Of course not." With this, he turned around and looked for his coat once more. Finally he found it... on the floor. Sakura chuckled when he picked it up and put it on. "Justice," she murmured before she left. "It would seem that not everyone respects you very much."

After the whole ordeal with the girl he now knew was named Sakura—not that it mattered at all, but he would probably remember anyway because he was good at remembering things such as names and dates and places—Sasori went to one of the city's public libraries where he settled down and went to make some homework. It was only too easy, so he ended up searching for books that might be of interest to him. Time went by fast when he was engrossed in reading, and it was at around 8:30 PM that he finally realized it was getting late and he should get out to maybe eat something.

So he wandered through the city center, the streets filled with loads of people, lined with an endless amounts of shops and eating facilities. Sasori wasn't particularly craving anything specific. He wasn't in the mood for a restaurant, so those were out of the question. No pancakes either, and no sandwiches, no Italian food... He passed a Chinese takeout and stopped, pondering for a moment. No, not Chinese. He walked on, thinking to himself that maybe he wasn't hungry after all. He never was much of a big eater anyway.

When passing yet another McDonald's for the umpteenth time, Sasori sighed and gave in. Fast food it was. He went inside and passively ordered some food. After waiting for maybe a minute or so they gave him what he paid for and he left the building again. Way too crowded in there in his opinion. Outside he walked for a bit until he reached a couple of benches where he sat down, got his backpack off of him. After letting out a deep sigh he opened the packages of food to eat the contents.

"You can't be serious."

That voice. Looking sideways, Sasori saw that girl stand. That pink hair, those green eyes, that red coat, it was unmistakable.

"Eating that isn't very healthy for you."

"Don't tell me you're a vegetarian," Sasori said, eying the sandwich in her hand.

Sakura bit her lip, seeming to be contemplating something, then walked towards him and sat down next to him on the bench. She put away her bag, one that Sasori had also seen her carrying through school, and took a bite from her sandwich. "I'm not," she told him after she swallowed.

He said nothing and watched her suspiciously for a while. After he had ascertained she was really only eating a sandwich, he began eating his own food.

"Why aren't you eating at home?" she asked between two bites.

"Why aren't you?" he retaliated.

She didn't respond immediately and took her sweet time eating the rest of her sandwich. "...I had some trouble at home."

Sasori glanced at her and saw her looking off into the distance. "Well," he said passively, not questioning her words, "I just felt like going out... and eat garbage." He looked down at the rest of his meal, fries and a cheeseburger, disdain filling his gaze. It not only looked disgusting to him, it tasted disgusting as well. No wonder he never ate that much. He didn't actually like much of anything when it came to food.

Sakura jolted when Sasori dropped his food on her lap and told her she could have it if she wanted. With open eyes she looked at him. "Thank you. Not something I'd expect from a mean person like you." He said nothing, so she started eating. Truth be told—though she wouldn't tell him—she had barely had enough money on her to buy the sandwich. She wasn't a fan of fast food, but food was food. When you're hungry, you'll eat anything.

After watching her for a little while, Sasori decided it was time to go. He was never a peoples person. So he stood and started walking away, not bothering saying bye. At first she watched him go with little interest, but suddenly reality came down at her, dread almost making bile come up. "Wait!" she shouted, not knowing whether or not to put the food away and run after him. He made the decision for her because he didn't stop at her shout, forcing her to come after him.

When she reached him she latched onto his arm. "Please stop, listen—" Sasori pushed her off him and continued walking, but she didn't give up. "Listen," she said, panicking and trying to keep her calm at the same time. Why was she even asking this to him? Like he would help her. "I'm sorry for basically attacking you just now." She was walking beside him, trying to catch his eye but he he wasn't looking at her. "I-I actually need, um, somewhere to, ah, to spend the night."

Sasori stopped in his tracks and turned to her. Sakura stopped when he did, and they looked each other in the eyes. After what felt like a long time, the silence was broken by the redhead.

"That was the worst pickup line a prostitute has ever used on me."

The girl reeled back, unable to hold in the gasp. "Wait, no! I didn't mean it like that! I'm not—"

"_Ever_," Sasori emphasized. "And the answer is no." He walked away once more, fully intending to leave her behind.

However, Sakura wasn't letting go that easy. She ran up to him and stopped in front of him. "I'm not like those whores at school you hang out—Stop it! I'm not done talking!" She stopped in front of him again when he tried to walk away.

"Oh, you're quite done to me." Sasori cocked his head. "I'm leaving, don't follow me."

"I'm not done!" Sakura practically screamed in his ear, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving. This made Sasori give her a very disgruntled look. The amount of decibels that she had poured into his ear were likely enough to have caused permanent damage.

At the sight of his expression, Sakura swallowed and immediately felt sorry. She looked to the ground, feeling rather desperate. Speaking in a soft voice, she said, "I'm not going to beg. Just... please. One night, it's all I'm asking. Just to have a roof above my head and a blanket to sleep under."

He didn't say anything for a moment, and then, "Why aren't you asking your friends, Sakura? Come to think of it, I haven't seen them around you at school. Haven't seen anyone around you at school, actually." He raised an eyebrow. "Could it be that you were lying to me yesterday?"

Slowly, she shook her head. "No, I didn't lie. But I can't stay with them all the time. I have to go home too."

"Who are your friends anyway. Or maybe a better way to put it: Who would want to befriend you in the first place?" He chuckled at this, especially enjoying himself when he saw her cringe.

"Does it even matter?" she said to him in a small voice. "They go to different schools. Look, I got kicked out of my house and... can I have an answer from you now? Or do you hate me so much you wouldn't mind seeing me sleep on a bench outside... Seriously, what did I ever do to you—"

"Fine. Come with me."

Bright green eyes looked up. "What?"

"Come with me. I won't repeat myself again."

* * *

They took the subway to a part of town the girl had never been before. Truth be told, the city was so large that it wasn't a strange thing not to have been everywhere. Sakura, not having the money to travel, kind of got on sneakily and hoped she wouldn't get caught. And there wasn't any sort of control during their one hour trip, so she was really relieved.

When they got out, entered ground level and stepped outside, the girl knew she was in a part of town that seemed like the contrary of upper class. The stares she got from people walking by—not that she wasn't used to it—were less annoying than they were frightening. Of course she tried to put up a brave facade, but from the looks of it Sasori knew very well she was intimidated by the place. The fact that it was nighttime and dark outside may have added to the eerie atmosphere too.

Several blocks further and after having passed more rundown buildings Sakura could count, the two of them had apparently arrived at their destination because Sasori went in an alleyway and entered a building. The girl didn't waste any time in following him. Who knew what kind of creep would get her if they'd find her alone.

Sasori went for the staircase and walked up and up until he finally got to the right floor. He opened the door by unlocking it and stepped inside, his guest following. The first thing that greeted Sakura was the darkness and then the sound of curtains being shut. Only when she closed the door behind her did someone finally put on the light, finally letting her see her surroundings.

She blinked. It was just a room. There was a bed, a couch, several closets, a nightstand, a small table... and one other door that probably led to the bathroom. Hopefully.

Being the person she was, she questioned him. "Where is your kitchen? Does that door lead to your bathroom? You do have a bathroom, don't you?"

Sasori plopped down on his bed and sighed. "Don't have a kitchen, yes, yes. Stop asking questions. There is the couch," he pointed towards it, "And that is where you'll sleep."

So her suspicions had been correct. "Thank you." She walked to the couch, setting her bag down on the ground and sitting down on the cushioned furniture. "So where..." He gave her a look and she shut up, instead opting to take off her shoes and take a look around the room while he went busy on the alarm clock.

So the closet on the wall opposite the couch also had a small TV placed inside it, and below that was a radio. Both were so dusty she didn't think he had used in a while. Walking to the door supposedly leading to the bathroom, she discovered there was a shower inside, along with a sink and a mirror hanging above it, and cabinets probably used for storage of med kits and stuff.

Walking inside the main room again, she walked to the TV and made to open one of the drawers to search for the controller.

"Don't touch anything," a low voice warned her, making her hand freeze in midair.

She turned around, facing him. "I'm looking for the controller, for the TV."

"You won't watch TV, you will sleep on the couch, because that is what you're here for." His intense eyes watched her every move, making Sakura feel rather unnerved.

"But it's so early," she objected. "And you don't have a blanket for me." He smiled, something Sakura didn't really find pleasant at the moment.

"You can have the couch," he started slowly, "There is only one blanket, and it's lying on my bed. To you the choice of sleeping on the couch, or daring to crawl underneath my blanket and sleep in my bed. With me."

The pink haired girl didn't say anything. What was he planning? Or was he just trying to make her feel uncomfortable? In that case, he was succeeding. Maybe she could use her own coat as a blanket and sleep on the couch anyway. The couch was certainly soft enough, and big enough to lie on. Then again, a bed was better than a couch, and a blanket was _way_ better than a coat. Her coat couldn't even cover her entire body, let alone keep it warm through the night.

"Should you choose to sleep in my bed, do beware of the consequences... like being stabbed or choked in the middle of the night."

Her eyes went wide. "...You'd do that?"

Sasori stared at her with a blank face. "What do you think."

She smiled awkwardly. "Yes."

He smiled back. "Sure."

The awkward moment lasted about a minute or so, and was ended by Sasori going to the bathroom to brush his teeth, reminding Sakura of the fact that she didn't have a toothbrush. Asking him to lend his to her was out of the question, so she decided to deal with it and get ready for bed. Or for couch. Anyway, she stripped down to... well, her clothes. Only took off her coat, because she didn't want that evil guy seeing anything of her. Correction: She didn't want any guy to see anything of her. Let alone Sasori.

When he came out of the bathroom, Sakura nearly tripped over the table as she quickly retreated from him. Okay, he obviously wasn't shy. He was looking at her funny, and she attempted to cover her actions up by pointing at him and saying the first thing that came to mind. "You're skinny! I can see your ribs! You should eat better!"

He merely blinked and shrugged, then put off the light. She barely even heard him move, but when she heard the rustling of fabric she knew that he had gone to bed. Covered in the safety of the dark, Sakura undressed to her panties. She contemplated keeping her bra on, but that was way too uncomfortable, plus it would leave marks in her skin, getting it irritated.

She searched with her hands for her coat, going by touch only, and once she found it she draped it over her body on the couch. She tried different positions, shifting around, but no matter how she tried, it appeared her thoughts had been right after all. Her coat couldn't cover her entire body, so she was occasionally shivering. That guy likely didn't have a heater either. And if he did, he wouldn't bother turning it on. Why? Because he didn't need warmth. He was cold as ice.

But he did agree to let her come and stay over for the night. No matter how much convincing on her part it took... In the end he was nice enough to let her come.

"Stop making noise."

Way to ruin the moment. "Well, I'm cold. Can't help it."

"The offer still stands."

"To stab me?"

She heard an exasperated noise of frustration. "Come here."

"No way."

"Come or I'll make you."

"You wouldn't dare."

Rustling of fabric. By god, he was getting out of bed. Sakura's heart beat in her throat when she concentrated on hearing him move, but he moved soundlessly. Once he took hold of her arm she yelped and tried to hit him, but he caught her hand effortlessly and dragged her to his bed. She protested against this until she was pushed into the soft, warm, warm, very warm covers of his bed. She wasted no time with nestling in.

When Sasori came in too, she noticed his bed was actually meant for just one person... but she could live with that, for some reason. It probably had something to do with not freezing to death and the fact that sharing body heat was something joyous and wonderful en very helpful and something to be celebrated. Best creation of nature of all times: Our own natural inner heater.

Sasori's arms came around Sakura's waist and he pulled her to him, so she was lying with her back against his chest. He leaned forward so he could whisper in her ear. "If you move a lot in your sleep, or if you steal my blanket during the night, I _will_ stab you."

Moment ruined, again. What was it again... Oh yeah, cold as ice. His inner heater didn't heat his heart up, unfortunately. "I don't believe you," she whispered back.

"Then why don't you feel beneath the pillow underneath your freakish hair?"

Was he trying to scare her or something. Then again, she couldn't help but swallow out of anxiety. Maybe there really was something underneath the pillow. The arms around her waist tightened slightly as she slowly, cautiously moved her arm to investigate. Reaching the pillow, she let her fingers slowly slide underneath. She didn't feel anything, so she moved in her entire hand. Still nothing.

Sakura heaved a sigh out of relief, a small smile appearing on her face. He was just messing with her, that jerk. There was nothing underneath. She giddily let her hand go back and forth underneath the pillow, until suddenly her body went rigid.

There was something sharp.

* * *

**Do review please~**


	17. II, 2: The Other

II

2, The Other  
_( .:who might just be just as bad, or worse:. )_

Her throat became tight and Sakura swallowed. She almost didn't dare speak, but managed to force the words out. "What is that?"

There was no reply, but a response came in the form of Sasori's hand moving to her own underneath the pillow, clasping around her hand and pulling it out. Once this was done, he rested his hand on the sheets of the bed, her hand still clasped in his and he wasn't about to relinquish it. "That," he whispered in her ear, "Is something that can make you bleed. Good night and sweet dreams, Sakura."

Needless to say, his last words were not really going to give her some sweet dreams, but rather giving her some nightmares to deal with.

* * *

Sasori woke up, feeling very comfortable in his warmer than usual bed. Opening his eyes, he saw a person lying against him, illuminated by the red light coming from his alarm clock. He moved his head a little, allowing his eyes to set their sight on the red numbers. 06:59, it read. The guy smiled inwardly as he turned the alarm off and watched it turn to 7 AM. He never woke up too late, he was always on time.

Slowly he got up, never disturbing the sleeping girl in his bed, and went to the bathroom where he turned the glaringly bright light on, grabbed a cloth and washed himself quickly, getting rid of any morning smells, before he got dressed. When he walked out of the bathroom, the girl in his bed stirred so he stopped momentarily and watched her wake. The girl, who he remembered to be Sakura, rolled over in his bed, entangling herself in his blanket. She yawned and wanted to stretch her arms but the blanket restricted her movement, so she let out a frustrated noise and opened her eyes. After a couple of seconds she seemed to realize the room didn't look familiar to her and sat up to look around—and saw him.

"Hey," she greeted. He didn't respond, so she continued talking. "What time is it?" He motioned for her to turn around so she did. "Oh, I see. What's for breakfast?"

Sasori rolled his eyes and grabbed his backpack. "You have exactly five minutes to get dressed before I leave you behind."

And so, as Sasori had foretold, exactly five minutes later he left his little apartment, the girl having finished her things just in time to come after him. The one hour trip with the subway and a couple of minutes walking brought them to Yuudai High School. They were exactly on time.

Before they entered through the doors and went inside, Sakura grabbed the sleeve of his coat and looked into his eyes. "Thank you." And then, after a while, "Please don't mention this... to anyone." And she let go of him, joining the other students and entering the school.

* * *

"Ugh, I hate that French teacher." Ami, the head of the cheerleaders, poked at the food on her tray with disinterest. She never ate much during lunch break anyway, it wasn't good for her look, you know. "Did you get everything done?" She stared at the others at the table; cheerleaders, jocks, populars.

"Nah, I didn't," Puck answered. "Not that I care." He and the other jocks laughed. Most of those guys didn't care about grades. Football was what mattered, and they were going pro after High School anyway. And of everyone who didn't care, Puck especially. He'd been in Juvenile, you know. Just been released.

"Actually, I did do homework." All eyes went to stare at the redhead, who shrugged. "It was easy as hell, though I didn't really see the point."

Puck shook his head lightly. "Dude... who are you?"

"Sasori, are you serious?" The blond Ami raised an eyebrow, staring questioningly at him with her blue eyes. When he nodded, she contemplated and smiled. "You could tutor me! No, you _are_ going to tutor me."

Sasori smiled in return at the wink he got from her.

"Today, after school, you're coming to my place. And don't you dare refuse."

"Oh, I wouldn't dare."

One of the jocks frowned. "Didn't know you were that easy, Ami." She shot him a glare.

"Agreed," Puck piped in. "And not because I'm jealous, like Sean." Sean received an elbow, who shouted at him. So Puck readied a punch and Sean held his arms up, making amends with him because Puck _would_ hit, he knew.

"Gee, just because she asked him over," Karui said, almost in monotone. She was also a cheerleader, with dark skin, black hair and amber eyes.

"I'm not easy," Ami hissed. "Just because I dumped you and like Sasori better than you does not make me easy, _Sean_."

As they threw a fit, Sasori sighed and looked away. Teenagers, they were such simple beings. He really felt he didn't belong, but oh well. Disinterestedly, he let his gaze go over the crowd in the cafeteria and came upon _pink_. Amazingly, she was talking to someone... unimportant.

* * *

The last class of the day was there. Surprisingly, the girl still greeted him when he arrived and sat down in his seat. He greeted back and left it at that.

Class was easy. It always was. Sasori didn't find any challenge in the lesson, so he just made his homework while he was at it. Once he was done, he searched for something else to do, since the lesson still hadn't ended. Inevitably, his gaze ended up watching the girl next to him.

Sakura. She wasn't doing anything related to school. She was just staring blankly at a piece of paper. Sasori was bored, so he inevitably ended up having questions. When the teacher allowed for conversations, he wasted no time.

"Where's your mind, girl?"

She blinked and looked up. "Huh, oh, nowhere in particular."

When he kept staring at her, not satisfied with her answer, she sighed and gave in.

"My friend came over during lunch break." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Apparently someone at their school has gone missing."

Sasori shrugged. "Does it bother you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it does. You know, my friend that came over today... they were befriended. They were special friends."

"They were gay?" Sasori smirked when she glared at him. He remembered the boy he had killed had worn a ridiculous amount of eyeliner. Well, that explained a lot. He began to chuckle, which he realized was rather inappropriate. Then again, he just didn't care at all. It wasn't like he held any sentiment for the girl next to him, her friend, or the boy he had killed.

So he could laugh if he wanted, just like when people laughed when they saw funny home videos, which really weren't that funny when you thought about it. But when you aren't related to the subjects, their pain is just plain _funny_.

And so Sasori laughed, even when Sakura told him to stop it. In fact, her anger made his amusement even greater.

"Stop it! You're wrong, they're not," she stopped momentarily and spoke in a hushed voice, "...gay."

The bell rang and the students hastily left the classroom to celebrate their freedom. Sasori and Sakura took longer, so they stayed behind.

"Don't you have any feeling inside you? You don't even know what happened to him. At this very moment, he could be hurt, or dying somewhere..." Sakura swallowed and grabbed her bag. "How dare you speak like that."

"I guess I don't really care about your friends," Sasori told her as he passed her by and left the room.

She tried. She tried really hard. But it was impossible. She could not ignore him and let it pass.

"You're nothing but scum," she hissed as she caught up to him.

"Do I look like I care?"

"So you admit you're trash?"

"I resent that statement."

They arrived at the garderobe, Sakura finding her coat easily and Sasori finding his rather quickly as well, having left it at a tactical spot. They left at the same time, heading for the exit.

"I hate you."

"Duly noted."

"You really don't care what people think about you?" Sakura went to stand in front of him, making him stop.

"Of course I do," he lied. "I just don't care what you think of me." Not a lie.

She came up into his face. "Liar. You're putting up a front."

"Why are you talking to her?"

The two of them turned around and looked at the newcomers, Ami and Karui. Ami was the one who had spoken with an icy voice and she was looking with resentment at the girl with pink hair. She directed her gaze to Sasori and raised her eyebrow. "Are you coming?"

"I'll leave you and your whore alone," Sakura muttered and walked away, but was grabbed by her arm.

"I'm sorry?" Ami tightened her grip. "Did you say something, wench?"

Sakura contemplated her options, but decided on not being subtle. "You heard me, whore. And don't tell me you're surprised to hear that."

"Someone's jealous," Karui chimed, making Sakura glare at her.

"You're right," Ami agreed, letting go of the girl's arm and turning to Sasori. "Let's go," she said, and then, eying the girl with the red coat, "...to my house."

They walked away, and Sakura gaped. "What?" She didn't know who she was saying it to, but she couldn't hold it in. In an outburst, she continued with yelling at them: "Trading me for that whore, huh?"

She didn't actually mean anything by it, because for a first, she didn't care about Sasori at all, and secondly they didn't actually sleep together in the figurative sense of the word. But it made them stop, and it sure did piss the cheerleaders off, and that was what made it worth it. "You slept with her?" Ami asked, horrified. Karui shook her head, eyes closed. And Sakura? She left, feeling satisfied. _Try to get out of that, emo._

"If you would just listen to me—"

"I don't think I want to listen," Ami snapped. "Because this is outrageous!"

"Enough."

Ami fell silent. She opened her mouth once, but no sound came out. Sasori stared down at her, his gaze alone being enough to keep her from speaking.

"You want to hear something outrageous? Pink hair we just saw was kicked out of her home yesterday. She saw me in the city and begged me to allow her a roof above her head and a blanket to sleep under. Being the kindhearted person I am, I said yes."

Both Karui and Ami stared at Sasori, trying to read his face. Was he sympathizing with her, or was he being sarcastic? They couldn't tell. This aside, they went with the latter because of their natural feelings of adversary against the pink haired girl.

"That's so..." Karui started, trying to find the right word, "...sad. So pathetic."

Ami nodded. "Yeah, she got kicked out? So even her parents don't like her! And then she begged you? Has she got no self esteem? That's worse than pathetic!" The girls laughed aloud while Sasori watched them with slight interest. "Can you imagine her getting down on her knees and begging?"

"And crying!" Karui added between laughs.

"You're so mean," Sasori said calmly, a small smile adorning his features. "Well then, now that's been cleared up, I believe someone needs some tutoring..."

* * *

With a big, heavy sigh, Sakura sat down in a chair in the cafeteria. It was Friday at last, and the day was almost over. Just a couple more classes and she was done with school. That left the only thing for her to do that day: Search for a place to spend the night, or the entire weekend if that were possible. She didn't want to be too much of a burden to anyone and felt ashamed every time she had to ask for a favor of one of her friends, but the last thing she wanted was to sleep outside in the cold.

She picked at the sandwich she had brought for herself. Money to buy lunch at school, she didn't have, so she had just made an extra sandwich that morning and took one with her to school. As she took a bite, the thought went through her head that maybe if she found a job, she could pay for a place to stay herself.

But then, with the next bite, she also realized that with schoolwork to keep up with, she would never have enough time to both study and work for money. Maybe she just had to put up with it all for just another year or two. Her aim right now was getting high grades so she was presented a scholarship, then she could go to college or university, study for a well paying career and never have to worry for a damn cent in her life again. No more uncertainty in the future.

Another bite. Maybe a side job wouldn't be so bad. That way she could save money. But then... What kind of job would be suitable for her? So many things to ponder...

A couple of girls neared her table and Sakura tensed. What could those cheerleaders want now?

"Hi... um, I'm sorry, what's your name?"

Sakura glanced the blond cheerleader whom she knew was named Britney. "I don't know why it would matter to you."

She seemed to think very hard, and then answered her with a: "You're right about that. Gee, I don't even know why I... bothered."

Karui looked like she wanted to hit her own forehead before turning her attention to the pink haired girl. "Reason why we're here, is because we feel _so very sorry_ for you." She cocked her head. "Poor thing, getting kicked out of your home, having to sleep on the streets. You're like a beggar."

The sandwich—or what was left of it—was snatched out of Sakura's hand by Ami, who quickly held it out of her reach. "A filthy, ugly one," she added, finishing with a smirk.

Sakura stood up abruptly. "You give that back to me."

"Oh, that's right! That's your only food for the entire day," Karui crooned before she turned around and shouted out loud: "Puck, catch!"

The tanned guy looked to where Karui was pointing and caught the leftover sandwich when Ami threw it away for him. "What am I supposed to do with this?" He stared at the bread for a second before chucking it in a trashcan.

"Oh, and girl," Ami spoke sweetly with her melodic voice, "Don't let me see you around Sasori again. Good luck with life." She waved goodbye and walked away, followed by the others.

Sakura didn't know what happened, but as soon as she sat down again she felt overwhelmingly sad, filled with dread because they knew about her situation, and then there was rage. She stood up, grabbed her bag and walked over to the table where _they_ sat.

"Well hello," she spoke calmly.

Ami raised an eyebrow. "And you're here because?"

The pink haired girl looked at Sasori. "I told you."

He looked bored, and it angered Sakura. Ami's and Karui's questions faded away to the background, just like the whistles of the jocks and the hurtful comments they made. She didn't hear any of it, because her entire mind was focused on what _he_ was mouthing to her.

_'I don't care.'_

And it was like he had stabbed her with a knife and left her for the wild animals to eat, attracted by the smell of blood, while he was watching. Observing. And it hurt.

* * *

Sakura sat in her seat. He was staring at her, she knew. She didn't even spare him a glance. She felt horrible enough already, she didn't need the look on his face to make her feel even worse. When the bell rung, she tried to get out of the room quickly but wasn't very successful. He walked beside her to the garderobe, not saying a word but still looking at her, she knew. After she put on her warm red coat and walked towards the exit, he was there beside her once more.

Breathing in deeply and exhaling slowly, she finally told him something she truly meant. "I mean it what I said yesterday. I truly hate you." She didn't look at him, just walked forward. But she knew he was watching her still, and hoped that the fact she didn't spare him a glance when saying such harsh words had a cutting edge and got the message across.

When she was outside she went in the opposite direction Sasori took, even though she really needed to go the same way. She just didn't want to spend another minute with him if she could help it. She left the school grounds and walked along the sidewalk, not exactly knowing what direction to take, and not having a particular destination in mind. Any direction was fine, as long as it wasn't leading to or was somehow connected to that redhead.

In one of the cars that were parked next to the sidewalk, a young man retracted his arm from it's leaning position on the rolled down window. He removed his black sunglasses, revealing his sky blue eyes that were watching the pink haired girl that just walked by with interest. In the mirrors of his car, he had seen her leave from that school together with a certain redhead that seemed very familiar. A smirk manifested itself and left just as quickly before he opened the door and got out of his car.

"Hey, girl!"

Sakura stopped as she heard someone calling and turned around. There was a blond guy about her age, maybe a little older, that was looking directly at her. Just to make sure, she pointed to herself as if asking whether he really meant her. He nodded and motioned for her to come over to him. She pondered his unspoken request shortly, then walked his way.

"Hello, hmm."

"Uh, hi," Sakura answered, a little confused. "What is it?"

He smiled at her, showing perfect teeth. "You attend Yuudai, hmm?" She nodded at him. "And that redhead you just walked with does too?" Again, a nod. "And his name is, by any chance, Sasori?"

She gaped incredulously, slowly nodding. "How do you know that?"

"I'm psychic," he answered her, grinning.

"That's scary," she commented, and he burst out laughing and gave her a playful push. "I'm just messing with ya; I know the guy, hmm!"

Sakura chuckled lightly and shook her head. "Good, 'cause I was going to ask you my name to test your powers."

"I don't use my powers for free, hmm," he said, "I'd have you pay me for it."

"Right," she responded. Then, after a short silence, "What is it you want though? And how do you know that guy? And I'm not sure whether or not that's a positive thing."

He smiled at the face she made. "I... know him from work, hmm. I was looking for him, and then I saw you and I wanted an excuse to talk to you." She looked at him in wonder. "So I did."

The girl almost blushed. Almost, because it was really cute he said that, but it also seemed far too good to be true. When things seemed like that, they usually were, so caution was needed. "That's real nice," she said eventually. "So what now?"

"Now?" He raised one blond eyebrow. "Now..." He looked around himself, appearing to think. After a short moment his eyes drifted back to her. "Now I'm asking you out for dinner. Or lunch. No, it's too late for lunch. Something in between then... lincher."

Sakura frowned. "...Lyncher?"

He shrugged, and then they both laughed. "Well," the blond guy said, opening the door to his car, "If you want to come, just hop in." He stepped inside and sat down in the driver's seat. "It's on my expense. Your choice."

She thought about it. It was so random, meeting this guy that obviously flirted with her and was now asking her out for dinner—and he didn't even know her name! Wait, no, wrong order. She didn't even know _his_ name. That, _and_ he knew Sasori somehow, and if they were friends then that couldn't be a good thing. But he was good looking and he was being really nice to her. A free meal sounded great, although she also felt like a real bitch for using him like that.

Oh well, he offered. "Alright then," she spoke, "Let's go lynch together." He gave her a wink and she walked around the front of his car and got into the passenger seat.

"So Sakura, where to go, hmm?"

"Um, price is no consideration? Then I want—wait, you know my name?" She stared at him, freaked out.

"You're wearing a bracelet," he began, pointing to her wrist, "With your name on it."

She looked down at the thin silver bracelet. Her name was engraved on it, but you'd have to look hard to see. "Wow," she uttered. "How very attentive."

"I know," he said, raising his eyebrows, obviously seeming very full of himself. He rolled the window up and started the engine. "You know what? I'm going to surprise you. I know some places with real nice food, hmm." She nodded in consent, and then they were on their way.

* * *

Sakura found out the guy was named Deidara, and he disliked Sasori as much as she did—much to her joy. He took her to a cozy restaurant stacked with people, called the Bloody Rosary. Despite the macabre name, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was great. The restaurant sported a cozy old fashioned style and wasn't very large, but it obviously attracted a lot of customers.

The girl found she was having a great time with Deidara. He was fun to talk with, to discuss with, to _be_ with.

A sound of contentment was heard. "The food is delicious, Deidara."

"I know, why do you think I brought you here?"

She chuckled and took a sip from her drink. "Right."

"Besides, you look delicious as well."

"Yes, thank you, I'm aware." They laughed lightly, he smiled at her, she blushed a little.

Something else that was great: He seemed to have a great time with her too. As they continued their meal, conversed and joked around, she occasionally stole glances at him when he wasn't looking and came to the conclusion that he was a beautiful man. Of course, she had come to this conclusion several times already, but every time she glanced at him she couldn't help but feel so happy and lucky that he liked her, and that he really was just so handsome. As the time went by, eventually the time came where Deidara paid for their early dinner and they went outside to go for a walk.

There was a park nearby, so it didn't take long for them to decide that was where they were heading. It was already getting dark, with the streetlights illuminating the world.

"Let's do questions," Sakura suggested as they walked down the path between the trees.

"Questions?" Deidara repeated. "Sure, but I'll start. Age?"

"Seventeen," she answered. "You answer that as well."

"Nineteen." He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Why don't you dye your hair, if people act annoying because of it?" They had a long talk about it in the restaurant, but somehow he hadn't gotten to ask this one thing.

"Why do you wear your hair before the left side of your face? It's the same thing. You have people look at you, and you simply can't find it in you to care even if you get comments about it. You chose to look like this. This is who you are, and you're not afraid to show it."

Deidara huffed. "You care about it and it gets to you, plus I wasn't born like this; I chose for it, like you said. You can't compare it, hmm."

"I can," she retaliated. "I was born with this hair color, this is who I am and I'm not changing myself to suit other people's tastes. Just like you won't change who you are because other people have a problem with it."

The blond let her words sink in, then nodded. "You're right. Fuck the world, their opinions don't matter, hmm." He looked at her and she caught his glance. "We think alike, then."

She smiled at him, vaguely realizing that his statement was a little extreme, but not caring that much at the moment. Along came a bench, and they sat down. Deidara pulled her to him so they sat snugly against each other and she didn't didn't mind. "Ever been kissed, hmm?"

"It's not your turn, you're cheating."

He chuckled. "Does it matter? Just answer."

Sakura stayed quiet for a while, thinking about what to answer him. She had never been kissed before. And then she meant a real kiss, not just a peck on the lips. She had done that. The answer was simple enough, but she also realized what he was probably planning when she had said it, so the question was: Was she willing to share her first real kiss with him?

Deidara was nice, fun, handsome, didn't give shit about other people and had a cutting edge to him. And he was bold and daring, had guts, he was willing to spend money on her. Lots of money. He hated Sasori. To Sakura, these were more than enough reasons to say:

"No." Sitting snugly in his embrace, she turned her head to look at him. "I've never been kissed."

He grinned. "Then I think it's time that's going to change, hmm."

He leaned closer and she let him, never moving away, which he took as an invitation on her part. So he kissed her, and she reveled in the feel of his lips moving against hers. Her hands went to his coat, gripping it tightly, and his arms around her tightened as if making sure she wouldn't escape him though she gave no signs of wanting to.

His kisses soon turned into open mouthed ones, and it didn't take long after that for their tongues to meet. One of his hands moved to her head and tangled itself in her hair, and it was all she could do to not give in to this desperate need to get closer to him. She moaned, relishing in this wonderful sensation.

When he pulled back, it took a couple of moments for her to regain her breathing, but when she had, there was just one thing going through her mind. "Didn't know kissing was that amazing."

Deidara laughed softly, placing a kiss on top of her head. "Did it live up to your expectations, hmm?"

"Better," she responded. "Much better."

He grinned in the dark, though she couldn't see it. "That's good."

She nodded, and sighed against his chest. It was quiet for a while, both just simply enjoying each other's presence it would seem, until the blond spoke up. "What are you doing tonight?"

Sakura's emotional part immediately rang their alarm bells, but the rational part of her said that this could be used to their advantage. Cautiously she replied, "Not much."

"Feel like coming over to my place?"

That was so predictable. She also had an idea of what he might want to do at his place... Maybe she should be frank with him and tell him she was actually looking for a place to stay because of yada yada yada. Then again, she had done that before with someone she had only just met and that didn't work out so well either. Damn that Sasori. Next thing she knew he was making her doubt her faith in humanity. Maybe Deidara was chivalrous. She could give it a try.

"That actually sounds like a very good plan to me," Sakura said, leaning back and looking into his eyes only to find him grinning down at her. "Don't get too much ideas," she warned, just to be sure.

"Sure thing," he spoke languidly, though she wasn't entirely sure he meant it. "Well then, come on, hmm." He stood and offered her his hand, which she took, and led her through the park, back to his car.

* * *

Deidara had a very nice apartment. And with very nice, she meant large, spatial and surely expensive. He had a lot of stuff lying around the room, but since Deidara didn't turn on all the lights she couldn't really determine what the objects were. A clock that hung on a wall read 6:39 PM.

"The bedroom is on the left," the blond told her. "Dump your bag over there, it's kind of a mess here. What do you wanna drink?" He walked over to a room she assumed was the kitchen where she heard noises of glass being moved and a refrigerator being opened.

"Um, I'll have some water please."

"Water?" Laughing sounded from the other room. "Never mind. Go to the bedroom, hmm."

Sakura rolled her eyes and did as he told her. He had this huge bed in his room, a king sized four poster. Just seeing it almost made her drool and really did make her want to jump on it and use the bed as a trampoline. It was pure temptation. But she found it in herself to resist; after all, it looked expensive and she didn't want to break anything.

Sighing, she sat down on the bed and got out of her shoes. The drapes around the bed looked very soft, so she reached out and touched it. She couldn't wait sleeping in this big soft bed. And then this thought entered her mind.

Would Deidara allow her to sleep? Or would he want something first? More importantly, if he wanted something, would she be willing to give it to him?

The girl frowned and let herself fall back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She needed to weigh the options. It was obvious he wanted something. Of course he wanted something, that's why he took her—a girl he knew for less than a day—with him to his home. Her guess was him wanting to sleep with her.

Was that really such a bad thing for him to want? He was offering her a place to sleep. He bought her a rich and tasty meal. He was good looking. It was just sex, how great could it be. What difference would it make if he was the one who took her virginity?

She glared at the ceiling. No, it would be like selling her body for something she wanted, or rather, something she needed. She was not a whore. She was not like those bimbo's Sasori hung out with.

Sasori. He would be laughing if he ever found out. He'd make the trouble she had at school worsen, just because he could. She was sure he was mean like that. That guy... she really did hate—

"I'm back, and with the drinks, hmm!" Deidara entered the room and shut the door behind him. "I take it you like the bed?"

She sat up quickly. "Yes, I do."

"Great, hmm." He placed a tray with three bottles and two glasses on the nightstand next to the bed. "I don't have water, but I do have stuff I'm sure you'll like much better." He gave her a mischievous smile, got out of his shoes and proceeded with closing all the drapes around the bed with the exception of the one in front of the nightstand. Meanwhile, Sakura had crawled to the middle of the big bed. When he was done with the drapes, Deidara crawled over to her with the tray and set it down beside her.

"One glass for you..." He filled the glass with a see through substance and handed it to her. She took it with hesitation, but when he had filled a glass for himself and raised it, she felt herself forced to participate. "Cheers."

And they drank, with Sakura almost immediately gasping for breath. "This isn't water."

"That's what I said."

"_What is this?_"

Deidara chuckled and shook his head, taking another sip from his glass. "Something... stronger, hmm."

Sakura sighed. "Everything is stronger than water, Deidara. Don't tell me you're planning on getting me drunk?"

"Not if I don't have to," he said slowly while his sky blue eyes locked with her green ones.

She swallowed. Oh boy, she was royally screwed.

* * *

Special thanks to Joh Man X and Green-Eyes-Love.

Please share your thoughts! (by reviewing!)

**Ps.** In chapter _II, Laconic Little Happenings_, it says Sasori will attend Yuudai Junior High. Since I'm Dutch, I'm pretty much a n00b when it comes to English/American school systems because our own school system is rather difficult and deviating from it. So in this chapter I corrected my little mistake; Sasori is seventeen and does not go to a 'Junior High' or Middle school. He goes to High School, people. Yuudai High School.


	18. II, 3: The Incognito

II

2, The Incognito  
_( .:filled with nothing but lies:. )_

Sakura placed the glass back on the tray and sat cross legged in front of the guy that had been so kind to offer her a place to sleep, even if it hadn't been with the right intentions. But it was partially her fault for not having been clear with him from the beginning, so she needed to be honest.

"Listen Deidara," she started, looking down at first but raising her gaze when she spoke. "There are a few things I want you to know. Important things."

Deidara sighed. "You have an illness. Dammit, should have known, hmm. The pretty ones are always off limits one way or another." He took a large gulp from his glass, emptying it in one go. "_Dammit_," he repeated more fervently, then let himself fall back on the bed and brought his hands to his face, feeling frustrated.

Sakura stared at him with wide eyes. She was actually about to correct him as soon as he had said it, but on the other hand... maybe it was better this way. "Um, yeah..." She nodded, looking down at her legs.

"Wait," he said abruptly, sitting up and watching her. "We kissed. It's not contagious, right?" She shook her head immediately, kinda out of reflex. Deidara looked relieved and fell backwards once more. "Good. What do you have anyway?"

"Huh?" Sakura blinked and looked at the drapes around the bed. What kind of diseases were out there again? Wait, AIDS. No, he could use a condom and be done with it. "Er... I'd rather not talk about it," she answered him, hoping he'd let it go. Luckily, he didn't bother prying for information.

After taking another sip from her glass and feeling her face contort from the sheer _foul_ taste itself, she placed the glass back onto the tray again and lay down on the bed, remaining like that for a couple of minutes.

"Nice place you have, by the way."

He made a noncommittal noise.

"Your job must be amazing, to be able to pay for this all." He didn't respond, so she just continued. "If you work with Sasori, and you earn a lot of money so you can afford this, and Sasori's doing the same job, why does he live in such a rundown little apartment?"

He turned his head and watched her. "He does, huh?" A chuckle escaped him as he looked up to the ceiling. It sounded like he was sadistically enjoying the fact that Sasori lived in poor conditions.

"Yeah," she affirmed. "In a little apartment that consists of just one room and a bathroom. He doesn't even have a kitchen." She heard the guy next to her chuckle again and couldn't help but smile. It was wrong to talk about people like this behind their backs, she knew. But Sasori had done the same to her and it felt good to get this sort of payback. It felt so, really, awesomely good. "It's small and cramped," she went on, "And he lives in a real bad neighborhood. Bad part of town, junkies and dealers running round, suspicious figures on every end of the street."

Deidara was grinning while hearing this information. "That pathetic little bastard, hmm. How do you know this stuff anyway?"

"I stay—um, I went to his place two days ago. To work at an assignment for school." Lies, lies, lies. She corrected herself just in time, seeing that telling him 'she stayed over at his place' basically meant 'I slept with him'. Which she didn't, but there was no way to explain that in a quick, easy and believable manner.

"Right," came the response. "Does he even have a bed, or does he sleep on the floor? Damn little hobo."

Sakura watched his face and saw him smirk evilly; he was really enjoying the knowledge Sasori wasn't living very large. "He does have a bed," she told him, seeing his smirk disappear in disappointment. The image must have looked good in his head. "Next to his nightstand and couch, which are, together with a table and a couple of closets, his only possessions."

Now he all out laughed. "He goddamn _is_ pathetic, hmm!" His laughing went on, and Sakura felt herself laughing along.

Unlike Sasori, Deidara offered Sakura a spare toothbrush and toothpaste to brush her teeth for when she wanted to go to bed. After putting the tray with alcoholic drinks away, he gave her an actual glass with water which she accepted with a raised eyebrow and a smile. The drapes around the bed were returned to their original position and the TV was turned on so they could watch a movie while lying on the bed. Yes, Deidara had multiple TV's in his apartment, or so he bragged to her. One in every room, except the bathroom.

The bowl with chips was completely empty by the time the movie ended. They had watched a horror movie, both finding thorough amusement in it. Every time a body part got chopped off and the victims cried and begged, the two of them cried too—because they had to laugh so hard. Deidara had a sadistic, dark kind of humor, and Sakura could relate to that. Especially when it came to horror movies, because no matter the special effects, everything was just so fake. Deidara and Sakura couldn't get enough of it.

By the time Sakura wanted to sleep, the time was after eleven at night. After the movie they had continued zapping the channels until they came upon Dr. Phil's talk show, which they watched with as much interest as one would have when watching ants being burned with a magnifier. As it turned out, Deidara enjoyed making scathing comments about those sad people with their sadder lives and even sadder problems, and Sakura enjoyed listening to him while he was at it.

When they were both done brushing their teeth, they went to bed. Sakura received a huge T shirt from the blond because she didn't have anything to sleep in herself, just like she didn't have anything when she stayed over at Sasori's, but unlike Sasori, Deidara wasn't a prick. Or so Sakura liked to think.

* * *

It had rained that night, so puddles were lying everywhere as Sasori stepped outside of his building that Monday morning. He hadn't heard anything from Kakuzu yet, so that meant onwards to school. Truth be told, hanging out with kids his age was kind of amusing, somewhat... sometimes. School itself was a drag, so boring and uninteresting. He guessed he wasn't the only one feeling that way, though he was the only one who had such little trouble with homework and assignments. Most of the other kids just thought school was a drag because it demanded 'so much' of them.

When he rounded the corner, the first sound that met him was loud barking and he immediately took two steps back, glaring at the big white dog that had just jumped up at him but was held back by its leash.

"Well what do we have here, huh?"

Sasori redirected his glare at the guy who had spoken. The guy had silver hair, slicked back with a huge amount of gel, and a pale skin. He wore a long black cloak, with camo pants and black army boots sticking out underneath. "Do you really feel the need to bring that animal with you everywhere you go?"

"I'm not bringing it everywhere I go, shorty. You scared?"

"Certainly not." The redhead looked down at the muscled dog that was staring straight at him, mouth slightly ajar as it was panting, teeth showing. "What do you want? I need to go."

"Always so hasty," the guy admonished.

"Get on with it," Sasori snapped.

"Kakuzu expects to see you today, kid." He smiled as Sasori glared at him. Not wasting another second and not bothering to say goodbye, the redhead walked past him, ignoring the dog that started barking as he passed. The laughs of the silver haired guy were ignored most of all, along with the mocking words that were yelled next: "Good luck with school, shorty!"

* * *

School went by slowly and quickly at the same time. The lessons seemed to drag by, they felt that slow, but because every single lesson wasn't worth paying attention to and lacked interesting information, it felt like they had come and gone in a miraculously fast pace to Sasori. Hey may as well have slept through the day.

The last class of the day promised to be just as boring. It was trigonometry. It was easy, and therefore boring. There was only one thing that made it worthwhile _not_ to sleep during this class, and that was the girl sitting next to him.

She was usually keeping an eye on him, or talking to him in a way that annoyed him, but none of this was happening at the moment. She was quiet and concentrated on her homework. Strangest thing of all: She had a smile on her face. Sasori knew the girl longer than that day, and with the knowledge he had, she had no right to smile. What could she be smiling at? The fact she was thrown out of her parental home? The fact her friends couldn't offer her a place to sleep? The fact she was practically a hobo now?

That last thought almost made Sasori smirk, were it not that he was slightly frustrated and still curious as to why she was smiling. Something must have happened that weekend.

"What happened." It wasn't so much a question, but more of a statement saying that something happened and he wanted her to tell him.

She turned her attention from her work to his face, smile not disappearing. Just for a tiny fraction of a second, he thought that sparkle in her green eyes looked beautiful and wondered why he had never seen it before. "Nothing happened," she said merrily, and turned to her homework again. Then, she closed her eyes and grinned. "Okay, so something did happen."

Realization dawned on Sasori. She was happy.

"I met this guy last Friday. You remember when I was angry at you and told you I hated you? Well, I still hate you." She laughed softly.

Sasori vaguely processed her words, not really caring, but also still amazed at the fact that she was actually _happy_.

"And when I walked into the opposite direction you went, there was this guy that stepped out of his car and just randomly started talking to me..." She sighed and bit her lower lip.

Thus far, he had only been playing around, but apparently he needed to be far more thorough in his own personal mission to make her feel miserable. Sasori watched as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"He took me out for dinner, no, for lyncher." She chuckled again. "And I stayed over for the rest of the weekend, and we had so much fun together!"

Sasori stared, and slowly his eyebrows drew together in a frown.

Sakura sighed. "Yeah, I know. You wouldn't know what fun is even if it bit you in the ass. But still, try to understand, please." After this, she burst out laughing and caused various students to turn around and look at her.

"Don't mind her," the redhead told them. "She's schizophrenic."

The girl stopped laughing almost immediately and glared at him. "What? I'm not! You take that back, emo!"

"I'm sorry," he deadpanned. "I know you suffer from violent mood swings."

Students around them began laughing and Sakura glared at them all before looking back at Sasori. "Stop that crap. And for your information, I had a wonderful weekend. Contrarily to you, because apparently you got something shoved up your ass." She turned away from him as the teacher told them to be quiet.

Sasori continued to keep an eye on her, seeing that he really had nothing better to do. When the bell rang he quickly snatched one of her books off her desk and put it in his backpack. At her angry look he only raised an eyebrow and walked out of the classroom. She soon followed, wanting her book back. He refused to answer her whenever she demanded he give back her book and walked straight towards the garderobe where he grabbed his black coat and put it on. Sakura walked up to him, wearing her own obnoxious red coat.

"I want my book back."

"You're not going to get it just like that," he replied, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "I want answers."

"What kind of answers?" she shouted into his face, making him close his eyes momentarily. When he opened them again, he glared down at her.

"Where were you this weekend?"

"At that guy's place, like I told you."

"I see you've got no problem going home with any guy you just met. Let me guess, slept in his bed? What did you do to have him let you stay for the entire weekend?" He wasn't giving her a chance to answer him. "Did you fuck him? You do realize that makes you no better than Ami or any of those other girls you made out to be whores, right?"

"You stop accusing me—"

"You dirty little slut."

She snapped at this comment. "I did not sleep with him!"

Sasori smirked. "Using nice words, I see. Still didn't answer my question."

Sakura stepped forward, getting into his face. "I guess it doesn't really get through to you because you're _such_ a depraved person, but there actually are people out there who offer others to sleep over simply because they _enjoy_ each other's presence."

"I'm sure it's very enjoyable when you share each other's bed—"

"We did not, well, I did sleep in his bed but—"

"There you have it, slut."

"We did not have sex!"

Sasori smiled. "Are you sure you didn't do anything?"

She glared. "Define 'anything'."

"Touching, kissing..." He let the sentence wander off, enjoying the silence that filled the empty garderobe—save for the two of them. His smile widened a little. So she _had_ done inappropriate things with someone she barely even knew just so she could have a place to spend the night. That counted as selling yourself as well. The whore. "Why are you so quiet, slut?"

She looked down for a moment, essentially looking at his chest since she was standing so close, and then met his eyes once more and spoke with a calm voice. "We kissed. That's it. I don't see how that's such a crime. And you've got no right calling me that, seeing that you're the one going over to that whore's house to 'tutor' her. You're the one who is a slut."

His eyes narrowed. "Careful there."

"Why?" Sakura's voice rose. "I can't call you names but you can call me whatever you like?"

"Yes," he spoke with a steady voice, "Because I can back myself up, and you can't. It's the right of the strongest."

She took a deep breath, wanting to say something to him, but felt strangely empty inside. She hated the way he said that. He had made it sound like she was weak, like she couldn't take care of herself.

And the worst part was that deep inside, she actually believed it. She couldn't back herself up, she couldn't take care of herself. She was dependent, always had been, on others that were kind enough to lend her a favor.

The redhead was watching her deflate and back down. She took a couple of steps back, not looking at him. Sasori could practically smell his victory and crossed his arms over his chest. "So who's the poor bastard you slept with?"

She didn't argue his words and simply replied with the name. "Deidara."

It suddenly became very silent, both in the room and in their minds. Sasori's eyes widened and he stood frozen as he processed this little piece of information.

Deidara. That brat. She spend the weekend at his place. She had said he stepped out of his car nearby the school when she met him. That brat knew he went back to school. It was at that Friday... so he saw the both of them exit the school and part ways. She had slept in that brat's bed. She had kissed him. She had spend the weekend at his place.

Sasori shook his head, he was repeating himself. He had taken that girl to his own home, she knew where he lived, and she had then spend _the weekend_ at that brat's place? God only knew what she had told that brat. Maybe Deidara already knew where he lived. No, that couldn't be.

His eyes closed and he swallowed, toning his frustration down. When he opened his eyes again, he directed his piercing gaze at Sakura. After a moment, he walked towards her and took hold of her chin. She startled, not having expected this move, and looked at him wide eyed. "What are you doing?"

"You kissed Deidara," he stated.

She nodded. "Yeah. He said he knew you from work. Let go of my chin." She considered trying to wrestle his hand off her, but decided to wait for him to let go himself. If she was getting physical on him, and he was getting physical too, he would not only win for sure, but he also might hurt her in the process of doing so and she wasn't in the mood for sore bruises.

He didn't let go of her chin. Sasori looked at the wall behind her head thoughtfully before looking back at her. "He told you about our work?"

"Yeah, he did."

His eyes turned to slits. _No way, that idiot._ "You realize you can't tell anyone about it, right?"

"Why can't I? And let go of me." She swallowed, not liking the intensity of his gaze.

"I won't allow it," he replied coldly. "And you'd do well to listen to me."

Sakura's green eyes locked with his hazel ones. "I don't get why you're acting like this. What's your problem anyway? Deidara was right."

"About what?"

"You'd get jealous once you found out."

Sasori blinked. "Jealous... because you slept in his bed?" She nodded. "Then I think you've forgotten to mention something to him, like the fact that I had you in my bed before he even knew you." The girl's eyes widened. So she truly had neglected that little fact. "And we might not have kissed," he continued, "But you slept against me _half naked_, skin to skin. Just in case you forgot."

Sakura saw a small innocent smile appear on his face and felt anger boil up inside her. Before she could help it, the venom came out of her mouth. "That meant _nothing_, because you are pathetic. I bet you don't even _know_ how to kiss!"

In retrospect, she should never have said that.

Sasori leaned forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss before she could think. He was rough, forcing his tongue into her mouth, hand gripping her chin tightly before moving to the back of her head, holding her in place as he ravaged her.

Her arms came up to his chest, trying to push him away unsuccessfully. Her eyes burned up and a stray tear made its way down her cheek as she hit him on his chest and shoulders and he just wouldn't let go of her. The feeling of his warm muscle inside her mouth eventually made her give in and stop resisting, though she felt like crying because of it.

She truly felt like she was at his mercy, and there was nothing she could do about it. It was hell with a hint of pleasure.

When he stopped and pulled back, they both felt each other's ragged breaths against their faces, mouths slightly opened, a thin line of saliva connected between their lips. For a moment, neither of them seemed to know what had just transpired, or what to do now.

It was Sasori who was the first one to get a grip, let go of her, wiped his mouth and moved away. He spared her one last glance and walked away. Sakura, after wiping her mouth as well, moved after him like a ghost. They walked to the exit together without saying a word, and walked down the school grounds in silence. Together they made their way to the subway, Sakura not finding the need to go another way simply because he had to go the same way.

Once they had gone down the stairs and had arrived at the platform, the train wasn't there yet. While waiting for the train to come, Sakura glanced at him. At the sight of his serene face she felt overcome by this weird feeling she couldn't place. She guessed it was fear, or pure horror. Judging from the way he looked, it was like nothing had ever happened.

His eyes moved and met hers, causing her to take a deep breath. Cold eyes, unfeeling, detached. It was frightening.

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

His voice broke through her thoughts and she blinked. "Nowhere in particular."

"Then come with me."

The train arrived, entering the station with great speed, slowing down to a stop within mere seconds. Sakura stepped in after Sasori, not remembering where else she could go that day and figuring his offer was as good as any. Even though she really didn't like him, but for some reason the importance of her liking him wasn't that big of a deal anymore. She guessed it had something to do with him kissing her. It was weird to have someone who you thought disliked you, kiss you, and it confused her, and now she didn't know how she felt.

Inside the train it was crowded at first, but as time went by and more platforms had passed, more travelers exited and less people entered. It probably had something to do with the way this train was headed, passing right through the heart of the neighborhood Sasori lived in and ending in a place even more obscure. However, this did mean that both Sasori and Sakura got to sit down in a seat instead of having to stand, something the girl experienced as fortunate because had felt like sitting down for a while by then. It was like she had run a mile and now had to deal with unsteady legs.

After almost an hour of traveling underground, they stepped out of the train onto the platform and walked up the stairs to exit the station. The girl let Sasori lead the way, because she didn't feel confident enough to walk up front and she didn't remember the way. Even so, she made sure to stay close to him because in her mind, everyone out on the streets was looking at her funny. It didn't cross her mind that with a bright red coat and pink hair, one usually directs attention to themselves.

Sakura knew she didn't exactly remember the way to where he lived, also because it was dark when he first took her with him, but she was pretty sure they were going a different direction now. "Where are you taking me?"

Sasori turned his head to look at her and took hold of one of her wrists. "First I have an appointment and you're coming with me. After that, we go to my place."

"What kind of appointment?"

"Work."

They rounded a corner and were met with loud barking. A huge white dog jumped up at Sakura and she screeched, making Sasori turn his head away and close his eyes in pain. The dog didn't touch the girl, being held back by its leash, which was held by the same guy Sasori had encountered that morning. "Hush! Damn, girl! That sound is goddamn awful!"

Sakura stilled, taking deep breaths, and Sasori turned his head back to glower down at her. "I second that. _Never_ do that again."

"What is that thing," she muttered, horrified.

"A Dogo Argentino," the silver haired guy replied with a grin. "And his name is Rocky! You scared?"

"Yes," she replied quickly. "And keep that thing with you, and make it stop barking!"

He rolled his eyes. "He's saying hi! It's a dog, he can't speak, he barks." He glanced at Sasori, smirking. "At least she's being honest about her fear."

"Shut your trap, Hidan," came Sasori's monotone, "I'm not afraid. And she's right, you should learn that animal to behave." With this, he walked away and pulled Sakura along, passing Hidan and his dog.

"You know that guy?" Sakura asked when they were one block away. She saw him shake his head and left it at that.

After a couple of minutes walking, they arrived in front of a building that actually looked better than many of the other buildings. Sasori took her inside and walked to the elevator, stepped inside and pushed the button that took them to the tenth floor. Once up there, it was only a short walk to the door that was their destination. The redhead opened the door and walked inside without knocking, letting go of Sakura once she was inside as well. He closed the door and instructed her to take a seat.

Sakura did as told, very silently walking to one of the black sofas and sat down gently. With wide eyes she took in her surroundings, absolutely astonished. Never had she been in a room that practically smelled of money. All the rich decorations, the paintings, the chandeliers, the tapestries and carpets... Just looking at it made her feel so out of place, and she was afraid to touch anything, not wanting to break something worth more than everything she owned. And she didn't own much.

When she felt Sasori sit down next to her, she felt somewhat reassured that he was there with her. That feeling quickly passed though, especially when a door opened and a tall, tanned man entered the room. The man stopped in his tracks momentarily when he noticed her, but regained his composure and moved towards them, sitting on the sofa in front of them. His green eyes stared at them for a while, giving Sakura the opportunity to see he sported many scars, making her shrink back into the sofa. Somehow, the presence of this man made her feel very small.

"Sasori," Kakuzu eventually spoke with a deep intimidating voice. "Who have you brought before me? This is no place for children."

The redhead sighed. "I know, but we have a problem. I know her from school, and this past weekend she met Deidara. He told her about our work." He looked sideways, locking eyes with the girl. "And she thinks there's no need to keep it to herself."

"No, no!" Sakura spoke quickly, shaking her head. "I'll keep it to myself, promise. I just didn't think it was that big of a deal..."

Sasori turned his attention back to Kakuzu and raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't think it's 'that big of a deal'."

Kakuzu leaned back on the sofa and slowly clasped his hands together. "Don't you think it's a blessing she doesn't think much of it, Sasori?" He was silent for a bit, letting the redhead ponder his words, and moved his gaze to look at pink haired girl. "Girl, you do realize what kind of predicament you're finding yourself in? One wrong word to anyone and I will know, and that will be the end of it."

Sakura frowned. "I don't understand."

"Let me clear it up for you, then," the ominous man spoke. "Tell anyone about what you know, and that will be _the end of you_."

"What?" The girl stood and walked away, standing near the windows. "I don't know what your_ problem_ is, but you're acting ridiculous! Deidara told me you worked in security, but you're acting like..." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Like murderers or something. _What is your deal_?"

It became eerily silent as the two men looked up at her. Then, Kakuzu let out a heartfelt sigh and glanced over at Sasori, who caught his stare, looked at Sakura and back at Kakuzu, then raised his eyebrows and shook his head a little. "What?" the redhead spoke.

"Nothing," Kakuzu grunted, then motioned for Sakura to sit down, which she did—but slowly, hesitating a little. "We are," the man started again, "A security firm." He glanced at Sasori, who looked at him blankly. "Sasori works in security too. Celebrities... and such. That's why you must tell nobody. Sasori is... incognito, at your school."

"Uh huh..." the girl muttered. "So, he's protecting someone, or...?"

"He's got some time off," Kakuzu replied. "But it is very important you tell nobody. Is that clear?"

Sakura nodded. "Fine with me." Suddenly her eyes lit up and she looked at him. "So, who do you guys protect? Celebrities like singers and actors? Can you name some? Now I know anyway, you might as well just tell me." She smiled, eager to hear more.

Sasori let out a frustrated noise and leaned back against the sofa, letting his head rest on the back rest. His hands came up and touched his forehead, as if easing a headache.

"I'm afraid that would be a violation of our terms of secrecy," the older man said.

She sighed. "Alright, I understand." Right then, she noticed Sasori and frowned. "Sasori, something wrong?"

"Ugh, no."

Kakuzu shook his head and stood up. "You're acting like a brat again."

"I'm not. I'm..." His hand flailed as he couldn't get to the right word.

"Tired?" Sakura suggested.

He glanced at her. "Sure."

After returning from another room, Kakuzu dropped some papers on Sasori's lap. "Tomorrow."

Sasori stood up and tucked the papers away in his backpack before slinging it over his shoulder. "Let's go, girl." He walked away to the exit, opened the door and disappeared from their sight.

"Someone's in a bad mood," Sakura muttered. "Is he always like this?" She stood as well, grabbing her bag, suddenly realizing Sasori still had one of her books and she felt herself getting a little angry.

"Usually," the man responded. "What is your name, girl?"

She looked up in surprise. "Oh, I'm sorry! My name is Sakura Haruno. Pleased to meet you." Kakuzu nodded and walked away, back towards the door that led to other rooms. "And who are you?" Sakura asked, a bit put off by the fact that he just left without saying anything.

"You'd do best not knowing." And the door closed, leaving Sakura alone in the room.

Sasori stood outside the building, impatiently waiting for Sakura to come down. He couldn't believe he almost made such a mistake, thinking she _knew_ what he was, what Deidara was... Kakuzu surely thought him to be such a fool for bringing her along for something like this. So what was next? He had actually planned on waiting for the order to kill her because she knew. But now that she turned out _not knowing_, he supposed he should just let her wander off. He had no need for the girl to keep sticking around; he had work to do and he expected her to be even more of a nuisance on a job than that Deidara was.

Sakura finally left the building, Sasori giving her an annoyed look, telling her he hated to be kept waiting, her telling him he shouldn't whine, and then they left for Sasori's shabby little apartment.

"So," Sasori began as they were almost there, "What are your plans for today and the rest of the week?" He resisted the urge to sigh. _Not with me, not with me, explicitly not with me._

"Well, I thought I could stay with you, since you offered."

Sasori's face didn't betray his disdain. _Goddammit._

"And, well, I don't know yet where I'm going to stay tomorrow, or the days after... Maybe I'll see Deidara again."

He rolled his eyes. _Yeah, as if he's going to be any good for you._ "Right." And then he stopped his train of thought momentarily. Deidara wouldn't be any good for her. Of course he wouldn't; the boy was a goddamn little criminal who took lives without thinking twice about it. What would he care about some girl that willingly spread her legs for him? He was going to break her heart sooner or later, or do things much worse.

"What are you smiling about?"

Turning his head, he saw her glancing at him curiously. "Oh, it's not important. Rest assured."

She frowned. "Hmm, right. I don't think it's not important though. You never smile unless you're really enjoying something." After a pause, she suddenly continued. "Wait, don't tell me you're enjoying the fact you'll have me over again! If so, I really was right. You are jealo—"

He whacked her up her head, causing her to shut up and glare at him. "Don't even suggest it." Inwardly, he sighed. He had to put up with her for just a little while longer...

* * *

Happy New Year everybody! May you find the inspiration to do what you want, instead of only doing what you must.

I realize I'm a fast updater nowadays. Three updates in two weeks... that's amazing! (coming from me)  
I'd love to hear from you guys (by reviewing :D) Thank you for reading, and I'll try to update soon once more!

Peace out~


	19. II, 4: The Fun

II

4, The Fun  
_( .:which is so wrong to enjoy:. )_

Target was a middle aged man. Little facial hair, and what was left of it was turning gray. He wore a suit that looked expensive, but probably wasn't. His tailored shoes were in need of replacement. A ring was around his left annulary, indicating someone would likely be mourning his loss. Maybe he had children. Maybe not. Perhaps his parents were still alive. The kind that wasted away in homes, left alone, forgotten and rotting away a little more each day though they still seemed to be happy and enjoy life. Like his grandmother, still finding the time to nag at offspring.

"He's moving, hmm. Let's follow."

Sasori blinked, pulled out of his observation that had turned into a reverie. He watched his blond partner stand and followed suit. They moved through the mob of people in the bar, making their way to the back and up the stairs, where they had seen their target disappear off to. They ended up at the closed door that gave entrance to the target's hotel room.

Looking around swiftly, Sasori saw a small security camera hanging from the ceiling some ways off. He pulled his hood a little more over his head. No time to play around.

Deidara knocked on the door, waiting for a response from the other side. "Room service," he said once it came.

"But I didn't order anything," the man replied.

"I'm here to clean the room, sir." Deidara scowled as Sasori raised an eyebrow at him.

"Isn't it a bit late for that? Everything looks clean enough."

A sigh escaped the blond's mouth. "Orders are orders, sir. Can't help it."

Rummaging was heard on the other side of the door, then there was a click and the door opened. The man's eyes widened when he saw them and he immediately closed the door once more. Or tried to, because Deidara's foot was already holding the door open. Ramming his shoulder against the door, he opened it the whole way. The man ran to the other end of the room as the two hurried inside, but there was no escape. He was trapped like a rat, meeting his inevitable death.

Deidara punched the man in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. "That was for closing the door on us, hmm. My foot hurts, you bastard." The man cowered underneath Deidara's glare.

"Make it quick," Sasori admonished. "We don't have long, there were cameras."

The blond looked at him and brought a hand to his face, making a thinking expression. "Hmm... I wonder what weapon I'll use. A knife? No, I want something more spectacular, hmm. Gun? Nah, too much noise. Let's see..."

Sasori gritted his teeth. "You brat..."

"I could just use my hands, but that's just so barbaric, hmm. It needs to be done with more finesse."

With three big steps, Sasori reached them, bent down, hauled the man up by his hair, took hold of his neck and snapped it, effectively cutting off the man's screams of terror. Then he came up in Deidara's face, poking a finger to the blond's chest. "Give me three good reasons why I shouldn't throw you out the window _right now_."

"You need me, Kakuzu would get mad, I'd haunt you for the rest of eternity, hmm." Deidara grinned as Sasori threw him a dirty glare and he shook his head in amusement when Sasori turned around and quickly made his way out of the room. He followed soon after, not wanting to be the one who got caught, knowing the redhead wouldn't bail him out. He chuckled to himself as he left the building and saw Sasori stepping into a bus, leaving without him. "He hates my guts, hmm."

* * *

Sakura looked up from her history book when the door opened and Sasori stepped inside, in his hands a bag with what she assumed was takeout. "Took you long enough, emo. Geez, I'm starving! How can getting takeout take so damn long?" She sat up from her lying position on the couch and frowned at him as he dropped the bag on the low table in front of her.

"There were a lot of people getting takeout. I had to wait a long time."

She raised an eyebrow. "You left three hours ago."

He took a pillow from the couch and sat down on the floor, on the other side of the table. "What are you trying to say, girl."

"You ditched me!"

"Did not."

"Three hours! Three!" Feeling frustrated, Sakura unpacked the food. Upon the sight, her stomach rumbled and she felt a little frustration ebb away as the lovely scents invaded her nose. Sasori didn't respond other than handing her chopsticks and began eating slowly. Sakura sighed. "Thanks for the meal."

They ate in silence, but neither minded. Sakura was too hungry to care, and Sasori... didn't need a reason not to dislike silence. He much preferred the quiet. When both were done, Sasori took the leftovers and dumped it all in the trashcan along with the bag and plastic packages.

Sakura sighed in content, stretched her limbs and lay down on the couch. Sasori went to one of the closets, opened a little door, ran his eyes over the books inside and took one out. Walking back to his bed, he gently sat down in a cross legged position, leaning against the wall, and began reading the book in his hands.

Quite some time went by like that; with Sasori reading a book and Sakura lying on the couch in total silence. For Sakura, it didn't take long for the silence to become too pronounced, but she didn't know what she should say to break it. She also didn't know if it was that wise to break it in the first place. Sasori obviously didn't mind, and she was once again at his place where she had to abide by his rules. And what were those again?

Closing her eyes, the girl thought of what he had said to her the last time she had been at his place. She couldn't touch anything. And she couldn't watch television. She also had to refrain from asking questions that annoyed him, and refrain from asking questions when he was already annoyed to begin with. She had to refrain from annoying him all together. She frowned with her eyes closed. That was surely going to be tough.

And she had the couch to herself, but without the comfort of a blanket. If she wanted to sleep underneath a blanket, she could sleep with him—no, together with him... in the same bed—

Her eyes opened, green irises glaring at the ceiling. No matter what way she said it, it still sounded wrong. She sighed heavily as she remembered the rules of sleeping in his bed: No moving around, and no stealing his blanket in the middle of the night. And no talking, and no making noise in general. "What's next, no breathing?" she muttered quietly to herself, not realizing that where Sasori sat on his bed, was actually less than a meter away from her.

He glanced up from his book. "Having suicidal thoughts?"

The pink haired girl visibly startled and sat up immediately, turning around and facing him with a shocked expression. "What?"

She received nothing but a blank look. "You were talking about not breathing anymore. Any person would be concerned hearing that."

She opened her mouth to respond, but shut it before she had uttered a word. After seeming to ponder something, she started talking again. "You're concerned?"

"No. I'm not any person, and I'd encourage you. One less ugly girl in this world."

Her hopes fell when hearing those words from him, combined with his icy stare. What was more; his words actually hurt.

"And," he continued, "There would be one less annoyance bothering me with her homeless state of being. Good riddance." A cold smirk appeared on his face. "In fact, I think I'm not the only one who wouldn't miss you. The better thing to ask ourselves would be: Who _would_ miss you?"

Sakura's eyes were wide. His words didn't just hurt; they were cutting her.

"Here's the answer for you," Sasori concluded. "Nobody would miss you. You're a no good, unimportant weakling who lives off of other people's kindness. You're nothing more than a hindrance. Like a leech, holding on tight to a few persons who you can use to your advantage."

A lump formed in Sakura's throat while she inwardly screamed at herself. _'Don't let it get to you!'_ It didn't work, and while she was usually so quick to find something to say to defend herself, this time she couldn't get herself to retort. She couldn't. He was making her bleed inside.

"Such a nasty little pest you are." Sasori looked away from her and focused on his book again. "Why won't you just die already..."

Sakura swallowed, but the action caused tears to spring to life in her eyes. The lump in her throat wouldn't go away, even when he had already moved his attention away from her. So she lay down on the couch and curled up, focusing greatly on getting her breathing to stay stable, and more importantly, not to let Sasori know she was crying.

Later that evening, Sasori went to bed after putting the lights out, leaving the room in darkness. No words were exchanged and he went to sleep. Sakura tried with all her might, but sleep just wouldn't get hold of her. She spend her time in the darkness, both in a literal and figurative sense. Sasori's words just kept on repeating itself in her head, she couldn't get them to stop. She thought about her life, what she had done so far, her parents, her friends, what she was doing to them...

The chaos inside her head seemed endless, even to the point where she felt nauseous and sick and wanted to get up and go the bathroom, but couldn't get herself to do it because she feared Sasori might still be awake and she didn't want him to know she wasn't sleeping. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing what he had done to her with just a few words. There was only so much one could stand before breaking down completely.

"Stop making noise."

The soft voice stopped Sakura's train of thought. Her eyes were wide and her breathing hitched. He was awake? Very slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible, she sat up and looked at the lying figure on the bed. She couldn't see much more than a silhouette, even with her eyes adjusted to the dark. With a whisper, she spoke. "Did I make noise?" She thought she had been silent. Reaching up, she touched a hand to her cheek, and felt relieved to know that her tears had dried.

"Sure have," came the soft reply.

Slowly, Sakura's brows came down in a frown. She stared at him for a while, or rather at where she thought he was, then leaned against the back rest of the couch. _'Guess whose fault that is,' _she thought bitterly. If he hadn't said those... things to her, everything would have been fine. She wanted to tell him, to let him know he could thank himself for not being able to sleep, but something withheld her. She pondered it, weighing the options, but in the end decided to spit her venom.

Her heart skipped a beat as he sat up in his bed.

"My fault? I fail to see why. I wouldn't have told you if you hadn't started to display your obvious inability to function right."

It took her a couple of moments to fully process what he just said. She partially blamed the fact that it was late at night, but she also blamed him for using such... difficult sentences when all she wanted to do was just sleep and get away from him. "You're..." she started, but couldn't grasp the words needed. So she just sighed. "I don't care. I want to sleep."

She heard him lie down, yawn, and then there was silence. It was at that moment that Sakura realized the goosebumps on her skin and the cold creeping through her limbs. She shivered, rubbed her arms and yawned. She was so tired, but there was no way she would be able to get any sleep in this cold. Her head turned, enabling her eyes to observe the sleeping figure. At least, she thought he was asleep. Feeling it would be very satisfactory if she woke him from his sleep, she spoke. "Are you asleep?"

There was no response from him at first, and Sakura enjoyed pretending he was glaring at her in that silence. Then a reply came, his soft voice holding a little anger. "I was." The girl couldn't hold in the chuckle that escaped her, but her fun disappeared the moment she heard him sit up abruptly. "You want to sleep?"

"I do," she replied.

"Is the couch that uncomfortable?"

"I..." Sakura started, but paused her sentence. She wanted to sleep, but she was cold. So she needed a blanket, but she already knew what he was going to tell her then.

"You're cold," he spoke, as though he read her thoughts. "Well, there is only one blanket in this room. And it's mine."

Inwardly, the girl sighed. She had been right, he was going to go there.

"You know what you have to do to get to sleep underneath that blanket. Just get up, get here and lie down. If you dare."

Sakura swallowed. Would she dare to? The previous time went... well enough. She thought back to the sharp object underneath his pillow, most likely a knife. That was some freaky stuff. She didn't know if she wanted to go there again.

"Sure, take your time, make me wait while you're deciding."

She couldn't see, but she knew he was glaring at her. This time, she didn't think his anger was funny at all. "...Okay," she uttered, feeling like she should respond but not being able to come up with a smart response fast enough. It had been the wrong thing to say.

"Shut it, wise ass. Get in here, now." No room for argument there.

"Um, I think I'll pass..."

"Want me to get you?"

"...No."

And so she stood and came over to him. When she was standing next to the bed, debating on whether she should get in herself or just wait for him to forget she was standing there. In the end it was Sasori who took hold of one of her wrists and dragged her down on the bed. "Why are you being so difficult, brat? Isn't this what you want? And... you're still dressed. Let me guess, even your shoes are still on, aren't they?"

Sakura stilled, realizing he was right. "Uh, yeah. I am." She pulled her wrist free from his hold with some difficulty and got out of her shoes, dropping them on the floor. After this, she lay down and made herself comfortable the best she could. It was pretty hard to do, seeing Sasori's bed was really small and she didn't want to lie against him if she could help it. This was pretty much impossible.

After a minute or so when she had settled down, Sakura had the weird feeling Sasori wasn't making any attempts to sleep. And she was right about that.

"You're still dressed."

The girl yawned. "Yeah... I'll sleep with my clothes on."

"No you're not. If you do then I can guarantee you: Tomorrow you'll stink. Even more than you already do."

Her eyes snapped open. "I don't stink! And what do you care... I'm going to sleep. Good night."

She closed her eyes again, hoping he would just give up and let her be. Unfortunately she thought wrong, and realized her mistake as soon as Sasori pulled her body to him and prevented her from getting up by lying on top of her. "You're not planning to undress I see... Guess I'll have to do it for you, then." And before Sakura could say anything in return, his hands went underneath her shirt and moved up, taking the material with them. It was off before she knew it, and suddenly she felt bare. His hands moved to her bra next, but she stopped him.

"You can't," she said, not able to prevent panic to leak into her voice. "I'll scream."

Sasori laughed at this. "That's useless, nobody lives in this building." He continued stripping her, leaving her bra and moving to her jeans.

Sakura didn't know what to say or what to do. Every muscle in her body was tense, objecting to his actions, but she couldn't tell him to stop anymore. She felt like it wouldn't matter. There was no one here to help her. And even so... she had already slept in his bed before. She had been half naked back then, too. The only difference was that right now, he was the one undressing her instead of doing it herself. It felt awkward to her, the whole situation reminding her of a couple in a romantic situation.

Memories of the incident of that afternoon invaded her mind's eye. Unwillingly, her face heated up.

After her jeans and socks were pulled off, Sasori's fingertips trailed over her leg, making its way to her hips and finding the hem of her panties. His fingers went underneath and slowly he brought the material down, sliding it off over her legs.

Sakura could barely breathe as she felt what he was doing. Her mouth formed the word 'no', but no sound came out.

Once her panties were off, he came back to her upper body. "Last garment."

She swallowed hard. "You're not naked either. This is unfair."

"I don't care. Off with your bra."

When she made no move to take it off, he did it himself. Her halfhearted struggles were easily countered and within moments she was entirely naked. The biggest consolation Sakura had for herself, was that it was dark inside the room so Sasori couldn't see a thing of what she looked like. It was a small relief.

"There you go. Now..." He pushed her towards the side of the bed connected to the wall, then lay down himself. He stretched and yawned, then took hold of his blanket and draped it around both him and the girl next to him. His arms went around her body and he pulled her to him. "Remember the rules?" he whispered softly in her ear. She nodded, and he continued. "Good. Sweet dreams, Sakura."

At first she couldn't get herself to relax in his hold, but as time went by and Sasori's hands didn't wander anywhere, Sakura was finally able to fall asleep.

* * *

_There are trees, lots of trees. One big harmonious haze of greens and browns. There is water... a lake. More trees on the other side. The sky is a clear, light blue. The sun is shining brightly. _

_Serene. The scenery is beautiful. There are birds in the trees, chirping and singing in the background. The grass is soft and luscious. A hand reaches out, fingers weaving through the green strands. It's my hand. _

_I'm sitting in the grass. It's warm, a nice temperature. That's because of the sun. I love this weather. It's so relaxing. _

_I lean back against something. I think it's a tree. I close my eyes and enjoy the moment. This is lovely. _

_Something tickles my side... and my abdomen. I look down and see a hand there. It's not my hand. It's trailing patterns on my skin. I think it's a boy's hand. Am I leaning against a guy? _

_I try to turn around, but it's hard. I can't turn around. Another hand comes up and strokes my cheek. He moves my face around and I see him. _

_Pretty face. Red hair. It's short and wild... doesn't look brushed. But it doesn't matter. He is pretty. _

_His eyes are haunting. They are brown and he is looking at me. His lips curl into a smile. He is pretty, so pretty. _

_He is talking to me, but I can only hear his words vaguely. I have to strain hard to understand. It doesn't work, I can't make sense of it. _

_His face comes closer. I don't move away. I lean forward and then I know he is kissing me. It feels wonderful. I close my eyes and enjoy the kiss. _

_When he pulls back, I open my eyes. The sight of him smiling, makes me smile too. He talks again, and this time I can hear him. _

"_You're so pretty." _

_His words make me feel really happy. He comes closer again..._

* * *

"Mmm..."

Sakura sighed blissfully, tightening her arms around the person in her hold. Her eyes were closed as she was slowly waking up. She lay tightly against the other person in the small bed they were sharing. The other person, named Sasori, was already awake. He had awoken some time ago, a couple of minutes before his alarm clock went off as per usual, and was confronted with a naked girl that was clinging to him in her sleep, and moaning.

Finding this situation both annoying, amusing and strangely satisfying at the same time, he swiftly turned his alarm clock off and simply kept lying in bed, watching the pink haired girl the entire time.

However, he couldn't stay in bed all morning. In fact, he couldn't even stay in bed for another ten minutes. He had a strict mental schedule to follow, from which he could not deviate unless he wanted to be late for appointments. First appointment of the day was school and he had exactly sixteen minutes left before he had to leave to the subway station. And so Sasori took one last glimpse at the girl, committing it to memory, before he woke her up.

A surprising action stopped him though. Bringing her hands up to his face and weaving her fingers through his hair, she leaned forward and started kissing him. Sasori's eyes widened, though he didn't push her away at first. She was still asleep, as crazy as that sounded, and he wondered what she was dreaming about if it caused her to act like this. She surely wasn't dreaming of him. The idea alone was almost sickening to him. But despite himself, he let her kiss him while wondering how far she'd go. Her soft, superficial kisses turned into deeper ones... and he felt himself kissing back. She even began to moan...

And that was how she woke up. Her eyes opened and locked with Sasori's. Then, after she recognized him, she realized her tongue was currently in his mouth. Jerking away violently and blushing madly, she crawled away from him and pushed herself against the wall.

Sasori licked his lips and sat up. His eyes drifted away from her face and looked down her body, not entirely covered by his blanket anymore. After this, he got out of bed and walked away to the bathroom.

Sakura took a deep breath and calmed herself. What just happened? And what was he just looking at anyway? She looked down and gasped in horror. She was naked. He was looking... he had...

She looked up in fury, seeing him close the bathroom door with a smirk. "You pervert!"

They both had to hurry after this. Sakura got dressed quickly, grabbed her bag and waited for Sasori by the door while she willed the red color on her face to disappear at the sight of him. She couldn't believe what had happened that morning, but wanted to forget it for now and as quickly as possible.

When they arrived at the station, their train was already there and about to leave so they made it just in time, much to Sasori's joy. If they had missed it, they would have had to wait for another fifteen minutes for the next train, and they would have been too late to make it to their first class. The train they were in was still pretty empty with a lot of vacant seats, so they both sat down next to each other. With a brief heavy pull to the side as the train picked up on speed, they were on their way.

The monotone sounds of the train going through the dark underground tunnels gradually faded away to the background, simply becoming part of the environment. The two didn't speak to each other for about twenty minutes, having passed four stations, with each station the train getting a little more crowded.

"You know, I'd like to forget what happened last night... and this morning," Sakura spoke eventually, breaking the silence between them.

He huffed lightly. "I'm sure you do."

The girl glanced at him. "I'm not sure you get what I mean." He shifted his gaze to meet her eyes. "What I mean is that I don't want you to talk about it at school. Not to anyone, especially not to those idiots you hang out with."

Sasori raised one red eyebrow. "Fine."

She eyed him warily, but looked away with a shake of her head.

"What were you dreaming of last night?"

His question made Sakura blink in confusion. "What makes you think I dreamed anything?" She couldn't remember dreaming. As far as her knowledge went, she never remembered her dreams.

He touched a hand to her cheek and made her turn her head to look at him. "I'm pretty sure you were dreaming this morning when you held me tight and kissed me." The blush that appeared on her cheeks made him smile. "Unless you were awake and were just pretending to be asleep, just to find an excuse to touch me inappropriately."

"That's not true, you jerk." She scowled. "Who would want to kiss you? You're nasty."

"Liar." His smile grew into a smirk. "You think I'm pretty. That's why you're blushing right now and that's why you kissed me this morning."

The train exited a tunnel, riding in the early light of the sun before entering another tunnel. For just a moment, with the sun shining through the windows onto Sasori's face, Sakura felt a wave of recognition wash over her. The brief moment passed quickly though, leaving them in the artificial light hanging from the train's ceiling.

The girl's brows turned into a frown and she slapped the hand away that held her cheek. "You're wrong."

* * *

During lunch, Sakura sat alone at a table in the cafeteria. She didn't get anything to eat, since she didn't have any means to pay for it. In her hands was her cellphone that was low on battery. Unfortunately she had already used all her prepaid, so as she went through her texts her mood went down, knowing she couldn't reply to any of them.

Sakura sighed as she read a text from one of her friends.

_Hey Sakura! I talked to my dad and you can stay over at my place for awhile. I you wanna, that is. Reply soon cuz dad wants to know when he buys food. Your bestest friend Naruto. Yeah you read that right: BESTEST!  
09/01/2009  
11:56:41 _

She smiled when she had read it through. Naruto was someone she could count on when needed. Her smile disappeared though, when she realized she had no way to reply to him. Unless someone lent her their cellphone, which wouldn't happen at this horrid place where she was an outcast.

The sound of chairs being pulled back made her look up from the little screen of her cellphone. Her facial expression was one of surprise when she saw the popular crowd taking a seat at her table, among them were Ami, Karui and the redheaded jerk. The surprise quickly faded away and turned into a frown. "Excuse me, I was enjoying having this table to myself."

"Learn to share," Ami retorted with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, before glancing at Sasori. "Go ahead, amuse me."

Sasori stared at Sakura and put his hands together, fingers intertwining. "I still want to know what happened this morning."

Green eyes widened. "You promised you wouldn't talk about it! Hey, give that back!" Those last words were for Puck, who had grabbed her cellphone from the table and went through her messages.

"I didn't promise anything, girl. I said 'fine', not 'I promise'. Now that's clear, tell me why you kissed me." After these words, the appropriate gasps were heard, none of them heartfelt. Unknown to Sakura, Sasori had already told his group what had happened.

Sakura couldn't find her voice for a moment, and Karui spoke up. "Oh my, you're so lucky. How did it feel?"

Sakura glared at her. "How did it feel? What do you think it felt like, you bitch?"

Karui bit her lip, ignoring the insult. "Mmm, must have been heaven." The people around them laughed, but Sakura didn't see the humor. "What? No! It didn—"

"You mean you didn't like it?" Ami interrupted. "How could you not like it? Isn't this a dream come true for a loser like you?"

Another girl nodded. "Yeah, to be able to kiss someone as popular and cute as Sasori, who is way out of your league."

"_Way_ out of your league," Ami echoed. "He's mine, bitch." She leaned over towards Sasori, took hold of his chin and turned his head. She smiled at him, glanced briefly at Sakura while giving her a smug look, and started kissing Sasori who did nothing to stop her.

The sight made Sakura's hairs stand on end. "Ugh, get a room." Watching them suck face was disgusting to her, so she redirected her focus to Puck, who was sharing her texts with the guys. "Why don't you give me my phone back?" She made a grab for it, but Puck easily held it out of her reach.

"Who's this Naruto dude? Your boyfriend or something?" Puck grinned. "That means you cheated on him, you whore." The guys laughed, calling the girl names. "Let's see what Naruto thinks of this." Puck's face fell. "Oh, you're outta money."

"Thank god," Sakura uttered, scowl plastered to her face. "Now give it back!"

She promptly got it thrown in her face. "Sure thing. Let's see... yes, that was the number..."

Sakura stared as he was doing things on his own expensive looking cellphone.

"There. Send. Done." Puck put his phone away and smiled at her. "Wonder if he's willing to let you stay over now."

Her eyes widened once more. "What did you send him?"

"Oh, nothing much. Just that you're politely declining his offer and that you'll be sharing someone else's bed tonight."

Sakura didn't hear the comments, she didn't hear the laughs, she didn't hear the insults. She didn't notice Ami and Sasori having stopped kissing, watching what was going on. Her phone buzzed, signaling an incoming text.

_Are you kidding? Who is that guy anyway? I thought you said you didn't want a boyfriend yet, or was that just a lie to get rid of me? You know what, I don't want you to come. Have fun with your new friends.  
09/01/2009  
12:04:22_

Everything faded away to the background as she read Naruto's text. Whatever Puck had sent him, it just wasn't true. But there was no way for her to tell Naruto. As realization dawned on her that her best friend probably hated her right now and she didn't have anywhere to spend the night, Sakura felt strangely empty.

After they were done making fun of her, the girl's adversaries left her alone. As it turned out, her reaction wasn't as funny as they had imagined it. They had expected her to shout at them, to cry out of frustration. But she hadn't. All she had done was just... sit there, staring blankly ahead of her, lost in her own world. To be honest, it was plain boring.

When the bell rung, all students left the cafeteria to go to their classes. Being the last one of his group still inside, Sasori watched the girl with pink hair sit alone at her table, unmoving. Aside from looking totally misplaced with her weird mop of pink hair as per usual, in that moment she also looked forlorn. At last she moved, putting her cellphone away, grabbing her bag and moving towards the exit like a ghost.

When she was gone, Sasori stared at where she left. After a couple of moments, he slowly moved his hand into one of his pockets and got his mobile phone out. Searching through his contacts, he found who he was searching for and began writing his text.

* * *

The engine was turned off, everything turning deathly quiet. Two man sat in the front of the SUV silently, looking at the building in front of them and remembering the plan one last time. The only sounds were made by the white dog lying on the back seats, its panting noises preventing the silence from becoming absolute.

"Ready, you son of a bitch?"

"Always, you asshole, hmm."

The two men grinned at each other before getting out of the car. Both readied their guns, taking off the safety switch. One of the guys sported silver colored hair with a massive amount of gel in it, and he walked to one of the back windows of the car and knocked on it. "You behave, Rocky! I'm not locking the doors, so if someone else gets in before me you bite their throats, got it?"

The blond stared at him with a sarcastic expression. "You know biting someone's throat isn't exactly 'behaving', right Hidan?"

Hidan waved his comment aside. "Yeah yeah, but I got my own view on matters. Don't listen to him Rocky, biting is behaving!"

The dog wagged its tail as his master spoke to him on the other side of the window, simply happy to be spoken to, even if it was in a language not his own.

"He doesn't understand a word you're saying, hmm."

"Shut the fuck up, Deidara."

"You shut up. We got a job to do. Come on, hmm."

"Tch." Hidan backed away from the window and went after Deidara. They went to the back entrance, standing still just before they opened the door. "Leave no witnesses, blondie."

"Who do you think you're talking to, huh?"

Hidan grinned widely, then opened the door and went inside. The narrow hallway they were in led to a staircase, which they used to go upstairs. On the first floor they arrived in a wider hallway with many doors. Deidara and Hidan each taking one side of the hallway, they opened every door. The first four hallways were empty, and then they reached another staircase.

The second floor looked much like the first floor, except that it wasn't empty. The first room Deidara entered, looked like some sort of bedroom. A girl was sitting in front of a mirror, busy with putting on makeup. "Come back another time, I'm closed," she said, bringing the brush of her mascara to her eye.

"No can do," Deidara replied, lifting his gun to her head. Seeing her eyes widen in terror, he pulled the trigger. Blood dripped off the mirror as he left the room and entered the next one.

Reloading multiple times, they systematically cleared the second floor, leaving no one alive. They took the staircase to the third floor, that led to some sort of lounge. The people that were there looked up, saw their guns and tried to flee, but there was no getting away. Deidara shot three men in their back, causing them to fall to the ground, and walked over to them for the finishing touch. He shot two of them through the head, but when he arrived at the third person, he was out of bullets. While the man underneath him squirmed and cried in pain and fear, he reloaded his gun.

"Wait..." the man muttered, looking at him after having turned his head with a lot of effort. "You can have... as much... money... as you want... please... don't kill—"

The gunshot resounded through the room.

"You're so mean, blondie," Hidan said while he slit a man's throat. "He was begging you for mercy."

Deidara raised his eyebrows. "He wasn't begging for mercy, he was trying to bribe me." He watched Hidan walk to a man that was hiding behind a couch. The man got up and ran, but wasn't fast enough. The guy with silver hair took hold of an arm and dragged the man back to him, ignoring his cries. "Besides," Deidara continued, "As if you're being nice."

"Nope," Hidan answered him, holding his victim in a choke hold and snapping his neck. "I love hurting people too damn much." He threw the blond a grin, then wiped his bloody knife on his victim's clothes. When he was done he took his gun and reloaded it. "Last fucking room and we're done."

"Don't say that as if it's the hardest part, hmm," Deidara said as he moved to the closed double doors. Hidan joined him soon, and they locked eyes, both sporting an undeniably mischievous glint in their gaze.

"Dude, you're so right. It's just that I hate having to drag their deaths out. I'd rather make a bloody mess, seriously."

They started grinning at the same time. "You're a crazy fucker, hmm," Deidara chuckled.

"I know, blondie. Thanks. Same to you."

They opened the double doors and went inside a conference room. There were about fifteen men inside, sitting at a long table. At the sight of two young men entering the room with raised guns pointed at them, an unanimous wave of gasps erupted.

"Nobody leaves their seat," Deidara instructed. "You all stay put and await your fate, hmm."

Two men fainted right then and there. Deidara moved over to them and shot them through the head, the sounds making nearly every men at the table jolt or cringe. As Hidan began slitting the men's throats one by one, and very slowly at that, another two men fainted from the sight alone. They too were promptly killed by a bullet through the head, fired from Deidara's gun.

"You know blondie, it's always so satisfying," Hidan started while slowly slitting a man's throat, causing the blood to spurt out of the wound and onto the table, mingling with the blood of the men who had preceded. "It's always so satisfying hearing fully matured men cry like babies."

Deidara watched some of the men whose turn had yet to come and who were sniffling and trembling and crying. "Not like babies," he replied. "The sound they make is different."

"God!" Hidan frowned, having moved on to the next shaky man.

"Yes, hmm?"

"What? Jesus..."

"Just call me Deidara," the blond said with a smirk, almost unable to contain his laughter at the look on his partner's face.

The man in Hidan's grip made strange gurgling noises as the knife went in in a weird angle. "Don't mock God, shitface!" Hidan shook his head as he eyed the man in the chair in front of him. "Fucking dammit..." He sighed, then suddenly erupted in anger as he violently stabbed the man in his neck, effectively killing him off. Once done, Hidan righted himself. "There, that should have done it."

"I'd think so," Deidara commented dryly, albeit amused with his partner's actions.

"So," Hidan continued, moving on the one of the last men left alive. "The sound is not like that of a baby's, according to your shitty reasoning. Then what's it sound like?"

Deidara shrugged, and watched the last two men, one trembling and praying, the other obviously in shock. Putting a gun to the latter, the blond killed him effortlessly. Hidan punched the last guy's lights out before slitting his throat, yelling at him he was going to hell anyway because he was praying to the wrong god.

"I think that did the job, hmm," Deidara said as the both of them stood in the blood covered room with bodies littering the floor and table. Hidan affirmed his statement and they did a high five.

"Right. Let's get outta here, blondie."

So they walked away and made their way back to Hidan's car. They were going down the second staircase when Deidara's cellphone played the theme from the movie Jaws. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, Deidara looked at the number and raised an eyebrow. "That's weird..."

"What is?" Hidan asked.

_Hello brat. Come to school at 2:30. You know where it is, I know you've been spying on me. Know a girl with pink hair? You should take better care of your belongings. Yours truly.  
09/01/2009  
12:15:35 _

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! I sure had fun...  
'Oh father', a song sung by the artist Sia, is one of the songs I listened to while writing this chapter. Along with 'G4L' from Rihanna, among others.

Please share your thoughts by reviewing, if you would...


	20. II, 5: The Errand

II

5, The Errand  
_( .:trust a friend to help you out:. )_

Students filled the hallways after the bell rung for the last time that day. It was 2:30 PM and school was over for most people. Sakura stood by her locker, loading books into her bag she thought she'd be needing when she was...

And there it was again, the question that had been bugging her ever since she had read Naruto's text. Before his text she had thought about it too, but when she read her friend's message telling her she had a place to stay for an unknown period of time, the problem seemed solved. And then, when that solution was made undone, reality came crashing down extra hard.

She slammed her locker door shut and hit it for good measure. Sighing, she rested her head against the cold metal. Where was she going to stay tonight?

"Why so violent, hmm? What did your locker ever do to you?"

Sakura whirled around, seeing a familiar blond standing in front of her. "Deidara!"

He grinned, holding his arms out. "Did you miss me?" Within seconds, Sakura had jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I'll take that as a yes, hmm."

"I'm so glad to see you here," the girl said, relief evident in her voice. "I have a problem and I... and... um..." She sighed, realizing she sounded kinda desperate.

"What's the problem, sweetheart?" Deidara cooed, rocking her back and forth. "I'm pretty sure it's nothing your friend Deidara here can't handle, hmm."

Sakura laughed lightly at the way he acted and the tone of his voice. "I hope you can," she spoke quietly, and then, "I don't have anyplace to sleep tonight." When the blond became silent, she added: "That wasn't some sort of lame pickup line!"

"Right," came the reply. Deidara let go of her and stepped back. "So," he said, beginning to smile mischievously, "You're going to spend the night at my place, aren't you?"

"Can I?" she asked hopefully.

"Actually you can't, even though I'm offering," he answered with sarcasm lacing his voice. He saw her shake her head with a smile. "Come on, go get your stuff and let's get outta here, hmm."

* * *

The both of them were in Deidara's large and luxurious apartment, with Sakura sitting on the comfy sofa in the corner of the living room and Deidara sitting on a big, red, round loveseat. Now the large windows let in the daylight, Sakura could finally see just what the man's home looked like. She was honestly flabbergasted and admittedly a little jealous. She already knew he slept in a huge canopy bed and had a TV in every room, but really... he was goddamn rich.

"How can you have this much money."

Deidara didn't hold back the smile as he heard her repeat the sentence for the fifth time in the fifteen minutes since they had arrived at his place.

"Could I work in security too? I want to be able to live like this."

"I doubt you'd be able to, since you're a girl."

She crossed her arms. "You saying I'm weak?"

He leaned back against the pillows behind him, his smile widening. "Maybe."

"Ass." Sakura grabbed her drink from the table, occasionally taking a sip from it. "So..." She let the sentence linger, partly not knowing how to begin her question, partly wondering what he thought she wanted to say.

"So you want to be able to live like this, huh?" He raised a brow and received a nod from her. "Alright," he said, "This is what's gonna happen: You're going to tell me what's going on in your life, why you need a place to stay, and I'll decide what I can do for you, hmm."

Sakura didn't respond right away, wondering if it would be okay to tell him, but ultimately decided that since he wanted to help her, she should cooperate with him. She swayed the water in her glass and started talking, telling him of her rocky relationship with her parents and how it ended up with the latest events.

"Do you even like them?"

"I don't know..." At the look he gave her, she said: "I guess not so much. But they're still my parents."

He kept his own opinion to himself. "I see, hmm. So you need a place to stay, permanently? That's something different than just needing to 'spend the night' somewhere."

She looked away. "I know. I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask that of you."

"You didn't ask. But you should know that I'm offering."

Her head turned back to him, her green eyes wide. "You... do?" Was he freaking serious? Was he allowing her to live with him? "But you don't even know me! I mean, you know me, but you don't, well... Ugh, you know what I mean."

"I get what you mean," he replied, "But I like you, girl." The smile that appeared on her face made him grin too. "There is just one little thing." He held up his right index finger, wiggling it around. "You interested?"

She nodded vehemently. "Yeah, of course!"

"Hmm." He brought his right hand down and locked it with his other hand, resting them on his lap. "I want you to help me with some errands, seeing that I really don't have the time for such trivial stuff. In return I'll allow you to live here, I'll pay for your food, I'll pay for your clothes, and I'll pay for all your other expenses. What do you say?"

* * *

"What do you say?" Sakura muttered to herself angrily. "What do you say? Yeah Sakura, go say yes! Please do! Throw yourself in a possible dangerous situation because you trust him on his pretty blue eyes!"

People who were passing her by at the station were eying the frustrated girl who was talking to herself oddly. The pink haired girl ignored them, not giving a flying fuck at what they thought of her talking to herself as she stared at the map hanging on the wall in front of her.

She had said yes to Deidara's question, which ended her up here at the station. In one of the pockets on the inside of her red coat was an envelope with a letter she had to deliver. She didn't know what the letter said, because she wasn't allowed to open up the envelope. Not that she had had any intention of doing so, but the blond guy had been very specific. He had also been very specific about her delivering the envelope to the one addressed in person. This meant she couldn't just go the the post office and have it delivered for her. Yeah, if only it were that simple.

So Sakura had taken a look on the address written on the envelope and began the search for her destination. After explaining what she had to do and her agreeing to it, Deidara had kindly wished her good luck, giving her more than enough money for ways of transportation and shut the door in her face with a: "See ya!"

It almost seemed like he had wanted to get rid of her, but Sakura couldn't bring herself to think that way about him. He was offering her a place to stay and the only thing she had to do in return was do some deliveries for him once in awhile.

Thing was, she had no idea where to go to look for the address on the envelope. So in her attempts to think of a solution, she remembered that almost every single train station had a huge map of the city and it's streets, museums, churches, hotels, all that kind of stuff. She always thought it was for tourists who were lost or something. Turns out it could be helpful for citizens as well.

Sakura was pretty good at reading maps, if she could say so herself. She prided herself on her intelligence, even if that made her sound like a stuck up snob. She was a great student with excellent marks and she was glad for that, because she wanted to be able to go to University after high school. She had dreams of becoming a doctor, earn a lot of money and live a great life without any concerns. Most of all; she didn't want to end up like her parents.

With her great map-reading skills, Sakura had found the street she had been looking for, and that brought us to the point where she was now: angry at herself for being foolish, with people looking at her weirdly.

"I don't want to go there..." she spoke to herself miserably as she stared at the street she had been looking for. "Why the hell did I say yes... God, I'm so stupid."

Sakura knew there were good parts and bad parts of the city. Her own parents lived in a part that was okay, namely a neighborhood called Oak Spring. This was also where her new high school, Yuudai High, was to be found. Her old high school was situated in a really cool neighborhood called Woodland Hills. She had enjoyed it very much there. The neighborhood wasn't too rich, but the people were nice and most of her friends lived there. Sasori's place was in a bad neighborhood, Northern Heights. Just lots of flats and rundown apartment buildings there. Deidara's place was in a really good part of town called Century Park, where there were a lot of luxury apartment buildings, mixed with villas and little parks. If she had to rank the address on the envelope, with the scale going from really good, to good, to okay, to bad, to really bad...

It was really bad.

Did Deidara want her to die or something? Why else would he send her to her death?

Sighing, Sakura turned around and leaned against the map on the wall. She was being way too melodramatic. Of course Deidara didn't send her to her death. Maybe the media just really blew Garuda District's reputation out of proportion and she had nothing to worry about. After all, those gang wars going on down there, claiming to protect their 'dragon's nest' as Garuda District was referred to by them, frequent shootings and crime percentage going off the charts... was nothing to worry about at all. It was all just media hype.

Sakura groaned. Who was she kidding. She didn't want to go there. She doubted if she could get a cab to drive her there either. Maybe she should use Deidara's money to rent a hotel room or something...

No. What was she thinking? She couldn't let Deidara down. He trusted her with this.

The girl stood straight and went over to another map that showed the subway lines and stations, where she determined her route. Now knowing which train to get, she began her journey to the city's most notorious district.

* * *

With a heartfelt, but modest sigh, a young man stepped out of the large building. He had long brown hair, tied together in his neck, some bangs framing his face. He seemed almost feminine, but his low voice and masculine built were evidence enough of him being most definitely male. His eyes were set in a frown as he walked down the stairs and went around the corner, proceeding to lean against the brick outer wall of the building.

Fishing a lighter out of his pocket and a cigarette out of another, he lit the cigarette on fire and put it in his mouth. Inhaling deeply, enjoying his stress-relieving smoke, he closed his eyes in bliss. When he opened them again, he was met with the strangest sight.

A pink haired girl stood near him on the sidewalk, not seeming to have noticed him. As fate would have it, he knew this girl from somewhere. He thought about it quickly and came to the conclusion that this was one of his cousin's friends. That didn't explain, however, what she was doing here.

"Sakura," he called out.

Surprised, she turned and faced him. "You... know me?"

"You should know me too," he told her, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you remember me?" Oh well, couldn't expect everyone to be as great as he was at remembering people. "I'm Hinata's cousin, Neji."

At this, her eyes widened in recognition. "Neji! Of course! I'm sorry for not having recognized you right away."

"No big deal," he said, taking another inhale from his cigarette.

She walked to him, stopping in front of him. "So, what are you doing here?"

He blew a cloud of smoke in her face. "No, Sakura. What are _you_ doing here?"

"I asked first," she replied while crossing her arms.

"I don't care," he crossed his arms as well. "But for your information, this place isn't suitable for little high schoolers, let alone little girls like you."

She stared at him angrily for a moment, then she relented and sighed. "I'm fully aware. But I need to deliver something. It's a letter, and I need to deliver it in person."

"Who is it addressed to?"

"Whoever's in charge... here."

Neji looked at her as if she had grown another head. "Who told you to do this?"

"A, um... friend of mine."

The young man appeared thoughtful. "Alright. Just give it to me and I'll get it delivered for you. You should leave this place." He held the hand out that wasn't holding the cigarette, gesturing for her to give him the letter. "Consider it a favor from me to you, for helping Hinata out."

Sakura seemed surprised. "You care about it that much? I thought you didn't give a—"

"Forget it," he snapped irritably. "You have my offer. Take it or leave it."

The girl frowned as she watched Neji glare at her, his hand still held out to her. Back when she attended Shodai High, Hinata had been one of her friends. Along with a couple of others, Sakura had helped Hinata overcome her problem with stuttering, helping her gain some confidence. Sakura had gone over to Hinata's house—or rather a mansion—a couple of times and had met Neji there, Hinata's older cousin, but he had never seemed particularly concerned with Hinata's fate. In fact, to Sakura, for all the times she had seen him, it appeared he didn't care for her at all.

Apparently she was wrong.

But the main question was: should she give Neji the envelope when Deidara told her to deliver it herself? Eventually, her conscience won. "I need to deliver it myself... but I'd appreciate it if you could take me to the right person?" She gave him a hopeful expression.

"No. Either I deliver it for you and you leave right now, or you're going in yourself and I'm leaving." In fact, he had been about to leave ever since he had stepped outside.

"But..." Sakura looked away with a frown on her face. The entrance of the building didn't look very inviting. She bit her lip, pensive. A languid sigh escaped her and she turned back to him. She reached inside her coat and took out the envelope before placing it in Neji's hand. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just get out of here." He blew another cloud of smoke in her face and dropped the cigarette to the ground. The cigarette was crushed underneath one of his shoes and Neji walked away, up the stairs and entered the building without saying another word.

* * *

"Ow, that's gotta hurt!" The silver haired guy smiled as he watched the TV screen.

"Hidan, catch!"

Said guy caught the bag of chips flying through the air right at him with ease and opened it smoothly. "Thanks man."

The long haired blond guy plopped next to him on the couch, holding a beer in his hand. "What's on, hmm?"

"Funniest home videos. Seriously, I'm embarrassed to belong to this race of goddamn suckers!"

On the TV screen, a guy ran to a rope, took hold of it and swung towards the lake, only to let go too late and land on rocks instead of water. The sight caused Hidan to promptly burst out in laughter.

The blond wore a dry smile. "I think I get what you mean..." The following video showed a guy on a bicycle, going towards a ramp. Blue eyes widened. "No... this is so predictable, hmm." The bicycle had a little accident.

"Yes!" Hidan cheered delightfully, then burst out laughing. When someone who was passing by a football field had the luck to be the target of a one in a million winner shot with the ball, having it hit his head, Deidara started laughing too.

A bell rung, stopping both men in their fun. They listened attentively and sure enough, the same sound was heard again. Standing up, the blond went over the the door. He looked through the tiny glass peeping hole. What he saw, made him blink multiple times. After he ensured himself that the person on the other side of the door was real, he took a step back and stood straight, frowning in thought. This was undeniably very strange.

When a couple of moments had passed, he finally opened the door. The girl that met his sight waited for him to speak, for some reason, so he said the first thing he could think of that sounded not too unfriendly. "You're back... already?"

The girl shrugged. "Yeah..." She looked around, looking everywhere but his face. "It was, uh... I was done rather quickly."

He cocked his head. "You... encountered no problems?"

She shook her head.

"None?"

"No."

"At all, hmm?"

"Nah... it wasn't that... difficult."

It was silent after this, until someone else appeared in the door opening and shouted out loud: "Pink! The hell you're doing here?"

Her head snapped up when she heard her nickname and she stared at the newcomer indignantly. "My name is Sakura. Don't call me that."

"I'll call you whatever, bitch." He wore an amused smile that grew wider as he saw her begin to glare. "So, you obviously know each other. Come inside, pink." He didn't wait for her answer, grabbed her arm and dragged her inside while ignoring her complaints. He pushed her down on the couch and plopped down next to her.

The pink haired girl stared at the TV screen with distaste. "That's awful. Can't believe people actually see humor in this... this schadenfreude."

"You're just being stiff," Hidan proclaimed, taking hold of her arm again and pulling her against him when she tried to inch away from him. "You need to relax, seriously."

Sakura let out a soft frustrated noise as she felt he wasn't about to let her go anytime soon. "I don't see how I could when a creep is putting his hands on me," she grumbled in annoyance.

"What was that?" He got a soft response that sounded like 'nothing', and let it go. "Hey blondie," he called out when Deidara took a seat in a comfy chair. "Where do you know this girl from? I saw Sasori with her the other day and he looked serious and shit. You sure it's okay for her to be here?"

Deidara did nothing other than roll his eyes as he stared at the TV. "You're the one who took her in."

"Yeah, well she seemed to wait for you to invite her in, so I helped you out you son of a bitch."

Sakura's eyes went wider and wider as she followed the two's bickering and more vulgar words were thrown around. What was up with these two? Not only with this silver haired guy who used such dirty language, but also with Deidara who seemed nothing like the charming guy she thought she knew. When he had opened the door, he had seemed surprised to see her... as if he hadn't expected her back.

She spend the rest of the day in Deidara's luxury apartment. The silver haired guy—whom she learned went by the name Hidan—stuck around for quite some time, eating pizza together with them and leaving after watching the news at 7:30 PM. He had insisted on watching it at Deidara's place, because the blond had 'a bigass gigantic TV to watch the fucking news on that was a hell of a lot goddamn better than his craptastic piece of shit'. Sakura sure did learn some new words to add to her vocabulary, though she doubted she would ever use them herself.

After Hidan left, she was left alone with the blond. He was remarkably quiet for some time, cleaning up the room a bit, putting the dishes in the dishwasher, calling some people. Sakura just sat by herself on the couch, watching TV a bit, zapping the channels to pass time. She watched America's Next Top Model, wondering how people could possibly be so vain. A more interesting program started after the episode ended, namely House. Sakura, hoping to become a doctor someday, was intrigued by the problems the characters in the show had to face and solve. She wanted to be able to do that too when she was older.

Deidara changed the channel to another one before the episode was over. Sakura, not really having the gall to change it back to House, seeing that it was his TV, just moved to the bedroom and continued watching TV there. Having a TV in nearly every single room was a definite plus.

It took three shows more for Deidara to finally show up in his bedroom. By then, the pink haired girl was already lying on the bed instead of sitting on the edge of it. She was also tired, but figured it would be best if she solved the problem with Deidara first. She didn't know if there was a problem in the first place, but he acted kinda off so she wanted to make sure everything was fine between them.

"Do you want me here?" she asked, not beating around the bush.

It didn't take long for him to come up with a resolute answer. "No, hmm."

Sakura sat up, not quite comprehending. "But you said—"

"It was a mistake," he interrupted.

She was silent for a while. "Then... do you want me to leave?"

He didn't reply right away. "How come you're here?"

"I don't understand what you're trying to say..."

"Look," he sat down on the bed, motioning for her to come sit next to him, which she did. "To be honest with you, I didn't think you'd be back, hmm. Did you do what I asked of you?"

"I..." The girl looked away. So that hunch she had had all along was right. He wanted to get rid of her. Of course he would, since she was imposing on his personal life. They had just spend the weekend together, nothing more. They had had fun, but apparently it was a one time only thing to Deidara. Well, no need for her to pretend if he wanted nothing to do with her anyway. "No, I didn't deliver it... not in person, anyway."

Deidara turned his head slightly, watching her with a suspicious eye. "What do you mean, not in person?"

She sighed. "Well, I was there, in front of the building of the address on the envelope, and there I met this guy I know. A cousin of a friend of mine. He offered to deliver the letter for me and I said yes." When she turned her head to look at the blond, she saw him staring at her dumbfounded. "So... it's probably delivered now, but I didn't do it."

"You... got someone else to deliver it for you? You know someone from inside the Dragon's Nest, hmm?" Deidara was shocked. This girl... was unbelievable. Who would ever have known she could be this useful.

In truth, that letter was just a nonsense piece of paper he put in an envelope. It wasn't meant to be delivered at all, Deidara hadn't expected it to be. By telling her to deliver the envelope to the one addressed in person, he had essentially sent her to her death. No one went up to the leader of the Dragon's Nest and said 'hi, I got something for you'. You simply didn't make it that far. Garuda District in itself was no place for outsiders. Deidara hadn't expected Sakura to return at all.

And yet she sat here next to him, telling him she got a doodle delivered to the city's most notorious gang leader by telling someone from inside the gang to deliver it for her. Having a contact like that was priceless. Sakura could prove to be very useful in the future.

The organization he worked for would gladly have a spy on the inside of the Dragon's Nest. If Sakura could make it so...

"I can't believe you, you know that, hmm?"

"I'm telling you the truth." The smile that appeared on his face put her at ease. It reminded her of the charming guy that gave her her first kiss.

"I know, because you suck at lying. Your face gets all weird when you do, hmm." He started laughing lightly and stood. "Tomorrow we're going by your parent's house to get your stuff, that alright with you?"

Sakura's green eyes were wide. "You're saying... I can stay? Here? With you?" He nodded, a grin adorning his features. "You're not mad at me?"

"Of course not. I was just a little... upset, because of things that happened before you came back. Sorry if it appeared as if I was mad at you, hmm." She looked relieved at hearing this and Deidara inwardly rolled his eyes. She bought his white lie without thinking twice about it, she was that gullible. Did she forget to take into consideration that he and Hidan had been watching Funniest Home Videos prior to her arrival? Oh yes, he had been very much upset.

The blond was shaken out of his thoughts as Sakura attacked him with a hug.

"Deidara, thank you so much. This means the world to me."

As a natural reaction, Deidara put his arms around her as well. "Yeah, well you're welcome, hmm."

* * *

A dark haired man watched the envelope on his desk. The sender of the letter was nowhere to be found on the envelope, which was strange. Yellow eyes narrowed suspiciously. Eventually curiosity won out and he called one of his subordinates to him.

"Open that letter."

His subordinate did as told. Carefully, the envelope was torn open. A piece of paper was taken out and handed to the man sitting at the desk, who unfolded it.

The sight that met them raised the eyebrows of both men.

"A... grocery list."

"How peculiar."

They stared at the piece of paper lying before them on the desk, studying its contents silently.

"You know, those doodles are actually really well drawn."

"Shut up."

A finger pushed a pair of glasses up, making it reflect the light momentarily. "Just mentioning."

The dark haired man frowned down at the grocery list, abundantly illustrated with birds, dragons and a random city view. "Who would send me such rubbish?"

The man with glasses shrugged. "I don't know, sir. I don't know."

* * *

Shorter chapter than the previous one, but I felt it was fine this way. Sorry for the late update (even though I promised I'd update faster this time) ... Darn this. Oh well.

So, I suppose if you think reaaaal hard you can guess who the Dragon's Nest leader is, together with his subordinate.

Also I put a little more names and stuff in this chapter, to add a little more depth to the city. Consider it a city the size of Los Angeles, but without being situated near an ocean.

And Sakura gots herself a place to stay for a while, finally! With the Dragon's Nest, I created some plot... yay~ And Neji is back! (I remember someone reviewing a while ago that longed for the day Neji got back... and now he is!) It won't be long before Sakura gets in contact with her friends again. After all, Deidara did promise he's give her money for... well, anything really. He didn't think it would come to that since he hadn't expected her back, but... HE LOST! Muahahahaha!

Hope you enjoyed! Please leave your thoughts by reviewing!


	21. II, 6: The Fight

II

6, The Fight  
_( .:a clash that was to be expected:. )_

_Guess who?  
09/03/2009  
11:45:12_

The girl stared at the little screen on her cellphone. Guess who? Yeah, that's what she'd like to know. Unknown caller ID. _Dunno, u tell me_, she sent back.

"Your dad texting you again? Popular girl." the girl sitting across from her teased.

"Nope. Hey Tenten, what would you do if someone texted you randomly, unknown caller ID?"

Tenten slumped forward in her seat and leaned on her hands. "Em, send random things back? You got a stalker? Popular girl!"

"I know right?" The words were said with an air of arrogance, though jokingly so. "Oh, I got something back: Come on pig, take a guess." She fell silent for a few seconds, and then... "PIG? How dare she!" Quickly, she began writing a response back.

"Pig? No way, is that...?" Tenten sat up, eying her friend with interest.

_You are CORRECT! Guess what? I gots myselves one brand new LG Cookie! Oh yes, let the questions come. I'm prepared!  
09/03/2009  
11:46:35_

Wide blue eyes stared down at the screen. She tried speaking, but no intelligible word came out.

Tenten, too, was looking at the screen, but she recovered far more quickly than her friend. "Ino, you okay? It's just a phone."

Ino snapped her head to the side. "This isn't just a phone! It is an expensive phone! Where on earth did she get the money to afford that?"

On the other side of town Sakura sat at a table in the cafeteria of her school, very much aware of the commotion she had likely caused. She giggled at herself, feeling giddy all over. The past two days had been great, with today going off the chart on the scale of awesomeness.

After she spent the night at Deidara's place and went to school the next day, she was picked up by Hidan—she really, really did not like that dog Hidan always brought with him—who dropped her off at the blond's place. Deidara returned some time later along with Hidan and bags upon bags full of stuff from her parental home. After they had hauled everything up to the luxurious apartment, the three of them sorted through all the clothes and items and threw away what wasn't needed or deemed worthless. The throwing away was mainly done by the guys, for if it were up to Sakura she would have kept everything. It didn't take long for the guys to exile her to the couch so she could watch how over half her wardrobe ("Ugly as hell!" according to Hidan), her cellphone, computer and many other personal items were discarded. Her protests were ignored and she was assured by Deidara she would get everything replaced by something better, and all the things she didn't get replaced, she simply didn't need.

While the guys carried the soon-to-be-thrash down to the dumpster, Sakura managed to save one picture book which she carefully hid away.

When they came back, everything that she was keeping was stored away and they had been off to the mall, where Hidan had left them alone and Deidara had bought her everything she wanted. And that wasn't exaggerated in the least. Sakura usually bought clothes from cheap stores, stuff that was on sale, she was lucky if she was able to get a popular or expensive brand. Deidara, however, took her to all the stores she had never been to other than stand in front of the windows to bask in the light of those pretty things she always wanted. He had also gotten her a laptop that worked ten times faster than her old computer and after all this, he bought her one of the newest and prettiest looking cellphones on the market, the same one he had himself: the LG Cookie.

Once they were back at the apartment and all the new clothes were stored away as well, Sakura had fallen backwards on the big canopy bed and looked up at the ceiling. Having some very precious items taken away from her, most of them memoires of her friends... it hurt to know that she hadn't been able to do anything about it. But despite that... it felt good to know she was taken care of this well. Deidara had kept true to his word, paying for everything. It was almost like an unspoken message was send out to her:

You don't need your friends, you have me.

Sakura was so immersed in her messages she didn't notice a blond girl walking past her, stopping momentarily to peer over the pink haired girl's shoulder suspiciously. Walking onwards, she moved towards a table stacked with people and sat down. "You won't believe this." Everybody listened attentively, stopping their own conversations. "What I heard during second period is true, that pink scoundrel has an LG smartphone!"

Sounds of astonishment were heard. "Isn't she homeless?"

"Last time I checked she couldn't even pay for prepaid for that ancient cellphone of hers." Puck shrugged. "It's not like I don't know how she got money all of a sudden."

"Really?" Ami crossed her arms.

"Come on," the tanned guy said, "Don't act innocent, you all know what I'm thinking."

Everyone sitting at the table chuckled, except for one person who stared at the lonely girl sitting all by herself at a table, but somehow still appearing happy. She wore new clothes, he noted. Designer brands, at that. Along with the new phone... They were all gifts of a certain annoying partner of his, he knew. His brown eyes watched her carefully. _'So she's now a paid whore, huh.'_

Well, she ought to be grateful for what he had done for her, texting Deidara so he would take her with him. Of course, she didn't know she was headed for a fall. Looking at her, in her new designer clothes, with her new phone, under the care of Deidara... she hadn't the _slightest_ idea of who she was dealing with. He wondered how long the blond was willing to keep her around. After all, she was a pain to deal with. The sight of her alone was frustrating. Every time he focused on her hair, he had the urge to burn it, cut it off, or in the mellowest case, dye it. Putting a hat on her might work too...

"Sasori!"

He blinked and looked at the source of his interruption. "What?"

"Why are you looking at her like that? Is she that interesting to you?"

Sasori inwardly rolled his eyes at her obvious jealousy. "It's nothing that should worry you."

Ami scoffed. "Yes, it worries me! You're looking at her while I am right here, talking. I should be more interesting to you than that skunk! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"You're overreacting." He despised dramatic teenagers. In fact, he despised overly emotional people in general. Ignoring her frustrated complaints and going against her wishes, he stood, grabbed his bag and sauntered over to the other side of the cafeteria where Sakura was sitting. She didn't even look up as he pulled out the chair next to her and sat down on her left, still engrossed in her phone. He remained silent for a couple of minutes, watching her texting away. Eventually he became fed up over being ignored and he spoke up.

"So, an LG KP500. Brand new, I see."

She still didn't look up. "It's an LG Cookie."

"That's the same thing," he informed her. "Where did you get it?"

"The mall," she answered vaguely. "And how come you know about cellphones so much?"

Deidara had the exact same thing and had bragged about it long and hard, comparing it to Sasori's 'ancient' one and explaining how his was so much better, so that's why he knew. But he wouldn't elaborate to her. "Who bought it for you?"

"What makes you think I didn't buy it myself?"

She still didn't look at him and it started to piss him off. "Because you're an outcast living in solitude and poverty, a stray I've taken in two times in the past week, who couldn't even afford food for herself."

Her eyes drifted away from the touchscreen in her hands, finally looking at him.

"Don't you lie to me, saying you bought it yourself," he continued with a calm, but cold voice, "When I know it was Deidara who got it for you."

She was silent now, her big green eyes looking at him. "...How did you know?"

"Why do you think he showed up when he did? A little bit too convenient, wasn't it." She was silent again, staring at him dumbfounded. Oh for the love of god... she hadn't even given it a thought. Sasori was seriously starting to question her intelligence. Was she so naive she believed in miracles? People randomly showing up whenever she was in need, saving her like she was a princess in her own fairytale.

"Did you—"

"Yes." Her eyes became larger, if that were even possible. Sasori couldn't help the sigh that escaped him. "You are pathetic."

He had expected her to get angry at that point. After all, she usually did. This time though, she surprised him.

People rarely did.

She put the phone down on the table, got off her chair and enveloped him in an embrace. It were Sasori's eyes that widened now, if only slightly. He quickly adjusted though, and when he saw Ami watch their every move with a poisonous stare he wasted no time in putting his arms around Sakura too. Sakura felt strengthened by this, tightening her hold on him, and he in turn did the same, nuzzling her neck and reveling in the anger that oozed off Ami's slight frame on the other side of the cafeteria. He had already had enough of her anyway, he thought it was about time he did away with her and changed the structure of this school's hierarchy.

When Sakura felt herself being pulled forward onto his lap, she went along with it and sat down on him, still embracing him. "Thank you, Sasori."

He didn't answer other than moving his hands so he could position her more comfortably.

"Thank you so much. If Deidara hadn't come, I don't know what I would've done..." She sighed softly, feeling very relaxed in his hold. Then she realized just exactly in what kind of position they were in, cuddling with each other... on a chair in the cafeteria during lunch break at school. "Okay, this must look very weird," she spoke, "I'm getting off."

"No you're not." He pulled her back.

"You're not letting me go?" She tried to stare at him questioningly, as far as that was physically possible when her face was in his neck. Turned out, it wasn't. His answer was affirmative, so she decided against putting up a fight and settled with relaxing in his hold again, despite the looks the two of them were getting from their fellow students.

"You know," she began eventually, "After all the mean things you've done, I didn't think you could actually be... nice to me. I started to think you were an apathetic asshole. Glad to know I was wrong."

Sasori smirked, though she couldn't see. "Of course you were wrong." He felt her tense for a second and knew she was tempted to react to this, but she remained quiet. He could see Ami was discussing with her followers. She got up then, turning around and catching his gaze. She held it for a moment, then started moving through the cafeteria, towards him.

Time for the finishing touch.

"To think you thought I didn't care for you. I do care for you... I just have a hard time showing it. I'm sorry I made you feel bad." He stared into her vivid green eyes when she looked up at him.

"You... care for me?"

Something inside her told her this couldn't be true. He didn't care for her, he didn't care for anyone but himself... right? But maybe... maybe he was a lot like... _him_. It was the whole reason she even tried to be nice to him in the beginning anyway. Now she thought about it, they really were similar. Both acting like apathetic assholes, with Sasori more leaning towards the 'asshole' part and _him_ more towards the 'apathetic'.

Sakura held his eyes, searching for something that could tell her he was being real_..._ that she should give him a second chance.

Sasori brought one of his hands up, caressing her face. "I care for you." These words, along with his smoldering brown eyes, made the last of her apprehension disappear. Then he leaned forward, their noses touching, gently persuading her to close the gap. She got the hint and a blush crept up her face as she quickly solved the inward debate on whether to comply or not.

Sasori felt very smug about himself when she accepted his unspoken invitation and met his lips with her own. He didn't let her down and kissed her slowly, but passionately. _Just in time_, he thought to himself. His eyes were mere slits as he witnessed Ami and her entourage standing beside them, completely speechless. By the time they finished their kiss, they were gone and moments later, the bell rung.

Awkwardly, Sakura got off the redhead, grabbed her phone and bag and took off towards class while mumbling a goodbye. Sasori watched her leave, a small, faraway smile on his face.

They didn't meet again until the last class of the day, which they shared. Aside from the casual "hello" and "hey" nothing much was said at first. The class carried on though, the teacher explained something new that required everyone's attention. After this, the students were allowed to work for themselves on their assignments, finally presenting an opportunity to talk.

"So... you... like me?" Sakura hated how unsure she sounded.

"That is what I implied, didn't I?" Sasori's reply was nonchalant.

"Um, yeah," she said. "So you do?"

He appeared thoughtful. "Yes, I do."

Sakura bit her lip as she stared at the book on her table. "Then... what does this mean? What are we now? Are we... you know?"

What were they now? This was their second kiss—the sleep-kiss didn't count as far as she was concerned—and she didn't even know why he kissed her the first time. Sure, she had provoked him, but they hadn't spoken of it afterward, instead they had just pretended like it hadn't happened at all. And now this happened, totally unexpected.

"Do you want us to be something?" Sasori inquired while peering at her out of the corner of his half lidded eyes.

"I dunno. Do you?"

"I asked you first."

"And then I asked you." She glared at him. "So answer me."

"You answer me." He glared at her too. When neither of them gave in, they tore their gazes away from one another and busied themselves with their assignments. Well, Sakura did, feeling a little better with the knowledge that the redhead was acting like himself again. Sasori just skimmed the pages over and proceeded with staring out the window.

"What about those morons you hung around with," Sakura began again eventually.

"What about them?" He sounded like he couldn't care less.

Her gaze ventured over to him, seeing him seemingly engrossed in something that was happening outside. "I vaguely remember that bitch Ami telling me to back off, claiming that you were hers." He didn't react, so she continued. "She probably hates you now."

"I don't really care."

"You should if you want to stay 'popular'. She'll be aiming to ruin you."

This evoked a slight laugh out of Sasori, and he abandoned the sights outside to look at her. His expression was one that made her instantly feel on edge, despite the modest smile. The words he spoke made her feel even worse.

"Do you honestly think she is capable of ruining me? The thought of her even trying to make me miserable is ridiculous, she couldn't do it even if she wanted to. I on the other hand am very capable of having her nailed to the pillory. If she tries to cross me, it'll be her own downfall." Not that he hadn't already planned it for her...

Looking around herself briefly, Sakura saw that no one was paying attention to their conversation, they were all talking amongst themselves. Turning back to Sasori, she noticed the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"But why would you care?" he went on, his voice taking on a sweet tone. "She is nothing but a bitch, as you mentioned just now yourself. After the way she has been acting to you, wouldn't it fulfill you with joy to know that she's hurting?"

It took her a moment to respond to this. "Wouldn't that be cruel? Sure, I imagine her having accidents all the time, but for her to actually get hurt... No, I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

His eyes narrowed, smile still in place. "What's the difference between imagining it and actually making it happen? The fact that you're thinking of it makes you just as cruel. You're just not brave enough to step up and make it become reality."

"Not acting on the urge to make someone else hurt is the difference," she hissed back. "I'm not cruel, I don't want people to get hurt. Hell, I want to be a doctor, I want to cure people, make them better. Isn't that the exact opposite of being cruel? You don't know what you're talking about."

"Someone's on the defense," Sasori murmured, amused with her reaction. "Well, whatever makes it right for you."

She glared at him, offended by his accusation. "You are so—"

The bell rung, signaling the end of class. Before Sakura had the chance to stuff all her books into her bag, Sasori had once again snatched one from her table and put it in his. She shouted after him as he disappeared between the other students who filed the hallways. The garderobe was crowded, making it nearly impossible for the girl to get to her coat, so she waited until most of the people had left. It soon turned out to be a mistake.

More people came in, blocking the entrance to the garderobe Sakura had just entered, but she didn't notice, with her facing the other direction. She did notice the hands that suddenly grabbed her arms from behind, restricting her movement.

"Hello Sakura."

Alarmed, the girl froze. She recognized that voice immediately; the usually high sweet voice now low and dangerous... Ami. Sakura's eyes darted around her and saw members of the cheerleading squad among the people around her, along with jocks. They were watching her, some even smiled cruelly. How had she not noticed them before? The hands on her arms forced her to turn around and the next moment she stared into Ami's blue eyes.

"You're not greeting me back? How inconsiderate, after I've gone to the trouble to remember your name." Sakura stayed silent and Ami's eyes narrowed. "Still not answering? I think you should learn a lesson or two about respecting the higher ups in this school, you insignificant gutter-child."

The pink haired girl felt her heart speed up, emotions boiling underneath her skin. Finally she opened her mouth to speak. "Don't call me that."

The blond girl laughed out loud. "Oh you're right, you're not a gamin anymore. You've been upgraded to trollop!" She laughed some more, letting Sakura's arms go.

"I suppose it's better than sleeping outside," Karui chimed in, laughing too. "Must be good to have a rich pimp who buys you expensive stuff."

"Geez, I'm curious now." Puck came up to Sakura and circled her, as if he were judging a piece of meat, ending up next to Ami who elbowed him in his side. "Don't even think of it," she hissed. "She's ugly and filthy. I'll kick you if you do her."

"Not as filthy as you." Sakura couldn't help herself. She had enough of those ignorant lowlifes picking on her. From day one, when she transferred last year, she had to deal with their shit again and again and again. Ami, the queen bee of Yuudai High, the leader of the cheerleading squad, self proclaimed most popular girl, thought it necessary to make her life miserable when she was already venturing in a deep valley at that moment, being torn away from all her friends, moving to another part of town, her parents arguing with each other all the time. She didn't need those stupid witches with their infuriating harassment to make it even worse. She had put up with it for far too long. Sure, she usually had her replies ready to fire back at them, but somehow she thought if she was laying low they would eventually just stop and leave her alone. What was wrong with them anyway? Had it become one of their life goals to make her suffer or something? Had she done something wrong from the very beginning? What was it?

And now, with all of them standing around her, making comments, laughing at her, ridiculing her, Sakura felt her anger reach a boiling point.

Enough.

Taking two strides, Sakura came up in Ami's face, effectively stopping her from laughing. The others stopped their antics too, watching the scene play out with interest. The two girls stared at each other.

It had been too much for too long. Looking back, it was a miracle in itself she had been able to hold back all that time. But now, her boiling point had finally been reached.

Something snapped inside her.

Ami never saw it coming. It was only after impact had been made and she fell to the ground that she realized she had just been punched in the face by the very girl she had belittled for as long as they had known each other. The entire crowd was quiet, staring at the pink haired girl and the blond girl lying on the ground in shock. Ami slowly pushed herself up and stood. Karui gasped when she saw her friend's face, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. Watching her friend's reaction, Ami frowned in confusion, but soon after felt something warm trickle down her nose, run along her lips. Sticking her tongue out a bit, she tasted the metallic droplets. She also found she couldn't breath through her nose anymore.

Her eyes went wide and she turned her head to look at the girl who had hurt her. "You bitch..." Her hand came up, fingers trailing under her nose. When she looked at them, she saw the red blood covering her middle and index finger. Her eyes met the other girl once more, this time glaring with hatred. "You made me bleed!"

She lurched forward, tackling Sakura to the ground. Reaching for what was nearest, Ami's hands gripped Sakura's pink hair and yanked on it. The cry of pain that her action instigated only gave her more motivation to go on, but what she hadn't counted on was a knee in her gut.

Sakura's anger was getting at a never before reached high. She only felt pure satisfaction as Ami's face contorted in pain, gasping or breath. Moving quickly, she pushed Ami away and got up on her feet. She watched Ami for a couple of moments before her tunnel vision started to fade away and she realized she was surrounded by Ami's friends, jocks and cheerleaders.

The hesitation didn't last long, especially when someone grabbed her from behind. At first there was panic, shortly followed by familiar anger.  
"Feisty lil' bitch," a male voice spoke behind her, belonging to one of the jocks.

Sakura whipped her head around to see who it was, but no matter how she twisted and turned she wasn't able to look at the person behind her. She clenched her jaws, heard laughter all around her and promptly stomped down on one of her assaulter's feet. He immediately let her go, cursing agitatedly, the other jocks laughed at him for being bested by a girl.

As soon as Ami noticed Sakura was free again, she charged again. Wildly throwing herself at the pink haired girl, Ami succeeded landing a hit to her opponent's face and grabbing a fist full of that pink hair.

Sakura didn't know what was coming over her, but she welcomed the unknown feeling as her own and didn't think twice before acting on it. She thrusted her left elbow back, making it connect with Ami's chest. With her hair released, she whirled around and grabbed hold of Ami's shoulders, forcing the girl down and raising her own knee quickly, kneeing her in the gut once more. With her breath having left her, Ami stumbled backwards. Sakura went after her while pulling her arm back, then punched the blond girl's face, knocking her to the ground. She wasted not a second and jumped on top of the body lying on the ground, forming fists with her hands, raising them and punching the girl underneath her, again and again and again, releasing all her pent up hatred.

She couldn't go on for long because multiple persons yanked her away from Ami. Although Sakura fought it, wanting to go on, to continue hurting that awful girl she hated so much, the forces holding her back were too much for her to take on. As soon as she was hauled off the body, the members of the cheerleading squad crouched over their leader, lying limp on the floor.

Sakura screamed and growled, vehemently trying to wrestle out of her harassers' grips, but in vain. "Let me go!"

"Holy shit, you fight like a fucking dude!" The jocks seemed impressed, laughing amusedly as Sakura continued to fight their hold on her.

"Shut up, fuckface!" She brought one of her legs up, almost kicking the guy standing before her to his head. More laughing ensued, angering her even more.

Suddenly there was an end to the chaos around her. It happened so quickly and smoothly that Sakura had trouble progressing it. One by one, the jocks around her fell to the ground. Some of the cheerleaders who had been paying attention gasped wide eyed, absolutely shocked. When the last jock was knocked down, there was just one person left standing.

Sasori.

He looked calm as ever, not a drop of sweat to be found. The way he had effortlessly knocked all those jocks down without taking a single hit, not even a scratch, made it seem as if he did these sorts of things every single day for breakfast.

Sasori didn't wait around long, for he intensely disliked waiting in the first place, and also because the jocks weren't exactly knocked out, some of them were already starting to get up slowly. He walked over to Sakura, who was standing a little dazed and eyed him with confusion. Without a word he took hold of one of her wrists and pulled her along with him. Near the exit of the garderobe he pulled Sakura's bright red coat off the rack and pushed it in her arms, then pulled her along by her wrist again. He took her all the way outside the building, not speaking a word to her still. The first time he spoke to her after he had snatched her away from the fray was when they walked down the stairs of the station to the platform where the train would take off to Sasori's neighborhood.

"Want to hear an interesting quote?" They arrived at the platform and he pulled her to a bench, where they sat down. "Listen to this: I imagine her having accidents all the time, but for her to actually get hurt, no, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I'm not cruel, I want to be a doctor, I want to cure people. I'm the exact opposite of cruel." He relished in her wide eyed expression. "Sounds familiar?"

Sakura was speechless. Not only because he remembered her words so well, but also because he dared bring it up at all. She stammered, trying to find the right words. "That's... that's not fair, I... I... Get that smile off your face!"

"No, I won't. You know why? Because I am right and I want to hear you say it."

"You what?" She shook her head, then glared at him. "You're not right about anything. Forget it."

His hand latched onto her wrist in an instant, making her visibly startle in surprise. "I won't forget about it, your little fight just now is just too ironic to ignore." He gave her wrist a tug, forcing her closer to him. "Admit it: you enjoyed making her hurt, having her suffer. You loved it. Admit I was right. Say it."

She avoided his intense gaze, looking anywhere but his eyes, mostly opting to search for the train that would be arriving from the dark tunnel anytime now. However, Sasori wouldn't accept her avoidance and gave another tug on her wrist, almost causing her to crash with her face into his. "Stop it! I won't admit it."

"You will admit it. Say it." His breath fanned over her face.

She couldn't avoid his eyes anymore. "No. I won't."

His hazel brown eyes bore into hers. "Say it now."

She couldn't look away. "Make me."

"I will," he responded with a low voice, lips touching hers.

Suddenly she felt a sharp pain on the wrist he held. She looked down and saw the cause of her discomfort: he was pinching her. She quickly tore her wrist away and slapped his cheek. She actually felt surprise as her hand made contact, she half expected him to stop her.

Sakura watched as he turned his head around, back to facing her. He held the cheek she had hit gingerly with his left hand. "Did that feel good?"

The girl frowned. "You deserved it."

"Ah, yes. I deserved it because I made you feel pain, isn't that it?" He smiled once more, seeing recognition appear on her face. So he continued on: "You like causing hurt to those that caused you pain. You just admitted it yourself, you feel it's justified. Do you agree with this?"

Sakura sighed. "There's no arguing with you."

Sasori chuckled. "And why do you think that is?"

She rolled her eyes. "You always have to be right and things always have to go your way. Again, there's no arguing with you."

"Why argue something when I'm right anyway?" Sasori shook his head slightly. "Well, no matter. You know what I still want to hear from you."

Sakura just gave up. "Fine. I enjoy making people hurt. Because you know, I'm just cruel like that. That's what I do, beat the shit out of people."

"Who you feel deserve it," Sasori added. "You're being your own judge."

She stared at him, silent. She didn't understand where he was going with this, nor did she want to know.

"But that's okay, rest assured. The system in which we live allows for such things one way or another, believe it or not."

A rush of air was heard, the fast approaching noise, and the train entered the station.

Sakura stood up, feeling she had spent enough time with him for the day. There were many things for her to sort out in her head, she could use the time for herself. "I don't need to get this train. I'm going to take a taxi, so I'll see you tomorrow."

The redhead stood too, stepping closer to her. He grabbed her arm before she could leave and pulled her to him. His brown eyes locked with her green ones. "What happened today, don't make too big of a deal out of it."

She blinked. "What specific incident are you getting at?"

He leaned forward, lips brushing against her ear as he spoke. "You know exactly what I mean." He then moved to the train, dragging her with him. He turned around in the door opening, pulling her against him. Sakura was trapped in his hold and the moment she looked up to question him on what the hell he thought he was doing, Sasori captured her lips in a searing kiss. Contrarily to the one they had shared earlier today, this one wasn't slow and steady. Instead Sasori ravaged her mouth, tongue swirling around, massaging hers, exploring her thoroughly.

Three annoying beeps were heard, signaling the train doors closing.

Sasori cut the kiss short and gave a last whisper in her ear. "Don't tell Deidara, it's our little secret."

The doors closed, separating them. They stared at each other through the small glass windows for a second before Sasori walked away to find a seat. The noise of the train engines roaring to life filled the underground platform and within moments, the train had left the station. Sakura stood unmoving on the edge of the platform. It took a while for her to get a hold of herself, walk up the stairs and exit the station. It was only when she had managed to get a cab and plopped down on the back seats of the vehicle, that she finally let her thoughts rampage through her mind.

After everything that had happened that day, all that was left were questions. Lots and lots of them, ranging from 'what does he feel for me?' to 'oh god no, why did I beat the crap out of that bitch?' While sitting in that taxi, Sakura felt like putting her hands in her hair and pull it all out in her frustration, but she figured the cab driver didn't need to see that. In fact, nobody needed to see that, and her hair certainly didn't deserve it.

Heaving a big sigh Sakura slouched down, feeling like a heavy bag filled with potatoes. The rest of the cab ride was spent in silence as she mulled over her turbulent thoughts. At last the cab driver pulled her out of her own inner world by telling her they had arrived. The girl thanked him, handed him the money and got out of the taxi, now standing before Deidara's apartment. As her taxi drove off and she was left standing alone on the sidewalk, a lone little thought entered her mind, one that related to her homework.

"He still has my book! That bastard!"

* * *

"_Wake up in the morning with a head like 'what ya done?'  
This used to be the life but I don't need another one  
Good luck cuttin' nothin', carryin' on, you wear them gowns  
So how come I feel so lonely when you're up gettin' down?"_

The music filled the air, breaking the silence. The sound wasn't superb, but the fact alone that such a tiny device could play a song so loudly in the first place was amazing enough. The fact that it was able to play a song at all was astounding, seeing that Sakura's previous phone wasn't capable of it. This new device really was a... smart phone. The girl rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Reaching over, Sakura picked up her phone and looked at the screen to read the caller ID.

Oh no, no freaking way she was answering this call. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with them. She'd prefer listening to Jake Shears' voice any time of the day. Besides, this song rocked.

"_But I don't feel like dancin' when the old Joanna plays  
My heart could take a chance but my two feet can't find a way  
You think that I could muster up a little soft shoe gentle sway  
But I don't feel like dancin', no sir, no dancin' today  
Don't feel like dancin', dancin', even if I find nothin' better to do  
Don't feel like dancin', dancin', why'd you break it down when I'm not in the mood?  
Don't feel like danc—"_

Well, that sucked. That didn't even last two minutes. So much for patience. Not that she'd be answering anyway.

"That's an old song, hmm." Deidara walked into the room dressed in nothing but a towel around his waist. Water was still dripping from his hair, he had just finished taking a shower. He walked over to the couch she was lying on and sat down next to her. There was enough room on his big-ass couch anyway, so Sakura didn't need to worry over being squashed by a half naked man. "Why didn't you answer?"

"I'm not in the mood. And I like that song." She looked over her shoulder. "I don't feel like dancin' is awesome and you know it."

One of his eyebrows went up and he smiled. "I'm not too sure about that. We're talking about a guy in a tight purple spandex suit here, with a voice that sounds like he's been kicked in his nuts, hmm."

"What's wrong with his voice?" Sakura laughed and gave Deidara a soft push. "He's a great singer."

He pushed her right back. "I know of better singers."

"Hah, like who?" She was actually curious about it, she didn't know what kind of music Deidara liked. "Name at least three male singers who you think are better."

"It's all a matter of preference, hmm."

"I call bluff—aaah!" Sakura shot up when Deidara started tickling her. "That's not—no, stop it! Stop—aah!" She tried to resist him but failed. Then she tried to get away, but he wouldn't let her do that either. In their tickling slash wrestle match they ended up falling off the couch and continued their battle on the floor. Finally after lots of laughing they stopped when Sakura surrendered by giving up. Laying pinned underneath a bare chested Deidara, the pink haired girl tried to regain her breath. "You can't think of a better singer, I knew it."

"Don't test your luck, girl," the blond spoke from above her. He leaned down to rest his forehead on hers. "I win."

"For now," she conceded, and smiled.

"You kidding?" Deidara chuckled as he rubbed his nose against hers, "I always win."

Sakura blinked, feeling like she had heard this before recently. Ah, yes, Sasori. "You can't always win," she said.

"Oh yeah?" He inched closer to her. "Watch me, hmm." He closed the remaining space between them and started nibbling on her lips.

Sakura felt herself heat up as she felt him trying to get entrance to her mouth. The debate in her mind, whether to allow him to or not, was short and ended with her giving in. She'd have to sort things out later. For now, she thought she deserved some positive attention.

"_Wake up in the morning with a head like 'what ya done?'  
This used to be the life but I don't need another one" _

"Mmm..."

"You don't need to take this, hmm..."

"_Good luck cuttin' nothin', carryin' on, you wear them gowns  
So how come I get so lonely when you're up gettin' down?  
So I play along when I hear that favorite song  
I'm gonna be the one who gets it right  
You better know when you're swingin' 'round the room  
Looks like magic's solely yours toni—" _

"See? Clearly it wasn't that important." Deidara's hand released one of her wrists in favor of going through her pink locks.

"But it's the second time they've called, maybe it's..." She was cut off by Deidara who had captured her in another kiss.

When he pulled back for a bit, his sky blue eyes looked into her green ones. "It's not important until they've called at least three times, hmm. Besides, I thought you weren't in the mood..." He kissed her some more, chaste ones this time.

"I'm not," she murmured. Her free arm went to his back, feeling the muscles there. "You know... If this is what security guys look like... mmm... I know where I'm getting my future boyfriends..."

Deidara claimed her mouth once more, pushing his tongue in and playing with hers. "What makes you think you'll have future boyfriends?" he said when he pulled back, and their eyes locked again. "Maybe I won't allow it."

"What are you saying?" She laughed softly. "You want to be my boyfriend?"

He didn't answer. Instead he leaned forward and captured her mouth in yet another kiss, slow and passionate. After only mere seconds Sakura had already forgotten he still needed to answer. And you know, maybe this kiss was an answer in itself. Or maybe she was getting her hopes up too high.

Both her arms were released now and she wound them around Deidara's torso. He had one hand tangled in her pink hair and held her close in an intimate embrace.

"_Wake up in the morning with a head like 'what ya done?'  
This used to be the life but I don't need another one" _

"Mmm..." Sakura unwound her arms and tried to to push him off her with no success.

"No you don't," Deidara whispered, holding her tighter to him.

"But you said... mmm..." He pulled back, allowing her to catch her breath and speak. "Maybe it's important." Her vivid green irises stared up to him. "They're still my parents."

He stared right back at her, frowning. He was clearly not happy, but eventually he relented and reached up, grabbing the phone himself. But to Sakura's dismay he didn't give it to her. Deidara got off her and sat up.

"Give it to me!" the girl demanded.

Deidara payed her no heed and answered the phone. "Who is this, hmm?"

Sakura blanched. The person on the other side of the line was silent as well. "You moron," Sakura whispered angrily, "You know who that is. Give it to me."

He ignored her. "Listen up," he said to the person on the other side of the line, "Tell me who you are now or stop calling."

"_I think a better question would be: who are you? I expected to hear my daughter and instead I get this bullshit."_

Sakura heard the voice emanating softly from her phone. She recognized that voice instantly. "Mom."

"_Who was that? Sakura?" _

"You're not talking to her," Deidara spoke. "You're talking to me, hmm."

"_Who the fuck do you think you are, telling me what to do. Sakura, talk to me." _

"Deidara, give the phone to me please," Sakura pleaded. "She'll get mad."

"She's already mad," he replied.

"_I heard that,"_ the woman answered through the phone.

"I don't care." Deidara's voice had an edge to it that made Sakura quiet down.

"_I called because our house has been broken into. Strangely enough nothing of value was taken. The only room that was completely raided was our daughter's room. I decided to call to let you know that I've reported this to the police and I'll have you sued for theft." _

"Is that so?" Deidara questioned, not sounding intimidated at all. "Well, I wonder how you're going to go about that."

"_As soon as Sakura tells me where she is—"_

"Tells you?" he interrupted. "What makes you think she'll tell you?"

"_Sakura sweetie, I know you can hear this. I don't know where you are but your father and I are getting the message that you're serious about this. We feel this has gone on long enough and we want you to come home. Don't you want that sweetie?" _

Deidara rolled his eyes and watched Sakura out the corner of his eye. "Do you buy that shit, hmm?" The girl didn't answer.

"_I heard that, you little crook."_

"Again, I don't care." Deidara felt his patience wear thin already. "I can tell you now that Sakura isn't coming back to you. Give up and leave her alone. It's out of your hands, hmm."

He hung up.

Sakura watched him with wide eyes, not believing what she had just witnessed. Deidara gave her phone back to her and she took it wordlessly. As she looked down at the screen and read the 'call ended', she wondered whether she should call back and if she didn't, whether to pick up if her mother called again. "I can't believe you just did that," she said softly.

"I can't believe you wanted to speak with that, hmm."

Despite everything, she couldn't resist the small laugh. "You're right." Maybe it was because of the utter weirdness of the situation that she could see the humor in it. "So, I'm not coming back home?" She heard him get up and walk to her. He sat down behind her and wound his arms around her slight frame.

"This is your home now."

* * *

Later that night, Sakura lay on the king sized bed in Deidara's bedroom. Some books were splayed out before her, containing the information needed to deal with homework. With a tired sigh, Sakura rolled on her back and looked up at the ceiling. She was all done... with the exception of trigonometry. Damn that Sasori for stealing her book.

Deidara was out, had said he needed to go to a job. She hadn't questioned it and made dinner for herself, then started on her homework. It was 10:24 PM, if her new cellphone was to be trusted. She felt about ready to go to sleep, not caring to wait for Deidara when he came back. Who knew, maybe he'd be done with his work well after midnight and she wasn't willing to sacrifice her night rest for that.

Forcing herself, she sat up and got out of bed, then walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Putting her phone down on the counter top, she selected a song to listen to while she was readying herself for bed.

"Let's see... what song... ah, choices, choices..."

There it was, the perfect happy song to brighten her mood. As the music started, she put toothpaste on her toothbrush and started cleaning her teeth while half humming, half singing along with Owl City's Fireflies.

"I'd like to make myself believe... that planet earth turns slowly... Mmm mmm mumu munanana nana when I'm asleep, 'cause everything is never as it seems! And I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs as they tried to teach me how to dance. A foxtrot above my—"

"_Wake up in the morning with a head like 'what ya done?'"_

Sakura nearly choked on her toothpaste. That song was becoming a horror melody, there to haunt her when she least expected it. "Whut? No! Not now! Guh..." She rinsed her mouth quickly and dried her lips with a towel. Watching her phone anxiously, she wondered whether she should answer it. Did she want to deal with her parents? No, she didn't. Did she need to? Honestly, yes, she did, especially after what Deidara had done that afternoon.

Taking a moment to calm herself, Sakura picked up her phone. "Sakura."

"_Finally I get to speak with you. Your mother is furious, you know that?" _

Sakura moaned. "Yes, I guessed as much."

"_Where are you? I'll pick you up right now." _

"You don't need to, dad." Sakura sat down on the ground, inwardly readying herself for a storm. "I'm fine with staying here."

It was silent for a moment. _"Are you sure about that? Listen Sakura, what do you know about this kid you're staying with? And what about his parents, they're okay with this?" _

"His parents aren't here, he lives on his own." As soon as the words had left her mouth, Sakura knew it had been a bad thing to say. It would have been much better to have left her parents in the illusion she was staying with another family instead of telling them the real situation.

"_You are staying at a boy's house without parental supervision? Sakura, what is up with you! How old is he?" _

She sighed. Too late to lie now anyway. "He's nineteen years old and he's financially independent. You don't have to worry about—"

"_Do you even realize what kind of situation you're in? There's only one reason why a guy would take in a young girl like you. If you have any sense of self preservation, you leave that guy and come home." _

"For what?" Sakura bit back. "Only for you and mom to fight with me again and kick me out?"

"_Don't be like that Sakura. If only you behaved better, we wouldn't have to get mad at you!" _

"I'm sick of it! I'm not the one at fault here!"

"_Yes you are, you little bitch! Listen to me—" _

"No! Shut up! You listen to me! I have had it with you! I'm not coming back! Not now, not ever! You can forget about it!"

The voice on the other end of the line shouted back with an equal amount of anger._ "Fine, then don't come back! I'll have the locks on our doors replaced so don't even bother returning. Stay with your new boyfriend, I hope you're happy with that little criminal!" _

"He's not a criminal!" The line went dead, a solemn beeping the only thing that was left to be heard. Sakura took a deep breath, exhaling shakily. "And he's not my boyfriend..." she continued with a soft voice.

Or was he?

The pink haired girl hauled herself off the ground and exited the bathroom. She went over to the bed and crawled on it, then pushed the books off carelessly. She nestled herself underneath the blankets and looked at the screen on her phone. Two incoming messages. She opened the first.

_I'll be back in an hour. X Dei  
09/03/2009  
22:55:16_

"I guess I was right," Sakura spoke softly in the dark confines of the room. "He's back around midnight." She opened the next message.

_Hello pink haired brat. Want to catch a movie tomorrow? I won't take no for an answer. Yours truly.  
09/03/2009  
22:54:19_

"A movie?" Sakura frowned, not knowing why he would want to do that. She didn't recognize the number, but she had no doubt who it was. Deidara must have given him her number. They had sent her a message around the same time, so they were probably just finished with their job.

Now, the question was whether or not she wanted to go out with him. He was essentially asking her on a date, as strange as that was. Then again, he had told her earlier that day that he cared about her and to top it off, they had kissed multiple times.

Sakura blushed at her next thoughts, even though she knew she shouldn't feel embarrassed because nobody was there with her. She was all alone in the security of a dark room, but still... She had made out with two guys in one day. Surely that couldn't be a good thing. Deidara would be pissed when he found out.

No, not when. If. If he found out, and she wasn't about to let it come that far. Sasori said that what had happened that day would be their little secret, so she trusted he kept it as well.

Making up her mind, Sakura began typing a reply.

_What movie did you want to go to? And don't start a text calling me a pink haired brat, it doesn't really set a good mood. Love, Sakura.  
09/03/2009  
23:02:45_

It probably wasn't a good thing to mess around with two guys at the same time, but there was only one way to find out who she liked better. And maybe it wasn't even a matter of 'who she liked better'. She simply relished in the attention she was getting from them. Sue her for trying to enjoy it to the fullest. And it wasn't like either of them were her actual boyfriend...

Main point of attention was to keep Deidara out of the know. Sasori obviously had his suspicions, even though they were false, but Deidara was still under the impression she loathed Sasori. It was important to keep him under that impression, seeing that she had the feeling he considered her 'his', like she was his property. There would no doubt be a fight if he found out, because she didn't think he was a person who liked to share. But then, she wasn't his property. She could do whatever she wanted, he had no say in it.

Unless he threatened to kick her out. But it wouldn't get that far. After all, what doesn't know, doesn't hurt.

* * *

First of all: sorry for the slow update. Second: thanks for the reviews! Without them, I probably would've taken longer. Each and every review I get is another motivator to get me writing! Third:

Happy birthday JohmanX! This is dedicated to you!

For those less knowledgeable in music, the songs mentioned in this chapter were the Scissor Sisters' I don't feel like dancin' and Owl City's Fireflies. In my profile, I'll link to the songs mentioned in Collateral just in case you can't find them.

I'd love to hear what you guys think, so I encourage you to review and share your thoughts!


	22. II, 7: The Surprise

II

7, The surprise  
_( .:whenever death may surprise, let it be welcome:. )_

"Honey, it's time to leave."

"Yes mother."

The girl left her seat at the oak table and exited the room, entering the hallway. Picking one of her coats off the peg, she put it on, then grabbed her bag and walked out the front door. Her heels made clicking noises as she walked the short distance to the cab her mother had called to pick her up.

"West Spring station, please."

The driver nodded and the engine roared to life before they drove away. The girl set her shining silver bag down next to her. Reaching inside, she took out a vial of perfume and applied it to herself, spraying twice in her neck, once in her hair.

The cab soon left the gated community and drove down the road in the hilly landscape. The vial was safely stored away inside the bag again. The girl heaved a sigh and stared outside the window. Heavy clouds hung in the sky, covering the world in grayish hues. It didn't do much to brighten the girl's mood. Here she was in a freaking cab when her mother should have been the one to drive her. Her mother always drove her. But today she didn't, because she was upset with her. It aggravated the girl, because she didn't think she was to blame for anything.

No, it was that bitch's fault. That annoying pink haired bitch had ruined everything. Who the hell did she think she was? The girl frowned. That bitch was nothing. She would make sure of it, and she would make sure the bitch knew she was worthless.

Her left hand went up to her cheek, gingerly touching her skin. Moving her gaze to watch her reflection in the glass window, she felt relieved that her bruises were barely visible. The miracles makeup could provide were endless, thankfully. Thinking back to her image in the mirror that morning, she felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. She looked horrible. The fact that she was forced to go to school by her mother was excruciating. Nobody could see her without makeup, it would be a disaster.

She wasn't ugly, and she couldn't bear the thought of anyone associated that word with her.

The cab arrived at the station. The girl paid the man and stepped outside. She chanced a look at the clock hanging high up on the wall and sighed, relieved. No need to hurry, she was on time. She went down three familiar steep stairs and a long hallway before she finally arrived at the platform. It was crowded, even though the train wouldn't be there for a while yet. Not that it wasn't to be expected. It was that time in the morning where students were leaving for school and employees were leaving for work: it was rush hour.

Occasionally bumping into people, the girl made her way to the railway. From experience, she knew where the doors were likely going to open, so she went to the place where she thought the door was going to be, nearest to where the train would enter the station. The last cabins at the back of the train usually were a little less crowded, so she'd have a bigger chance of getting a seat. Unfortunately today was a day where more people had the same idea she had, so even at the very back of the platform she nearly had to wrestle her way to the front, near the track.

Finally standing where she wanted to be, the girl heaved a sigh. Gripping her bag tightly, she looked around herself with apprehensiveness, carefully studying other people's faces as they met her gaze or seemed to look her way. Finding no strange stares or looks of horror, she turned her head and looked away to the stone wall before her, on the other side of the gap in front of her that contained the railway track.

"_Ladies and gentlemen, due to a delay an express train will pass platform 9 shortly, please keep a respectful distance away from the track. I repeat…"_

The girl listened absentmindedly to the message resounding through the air. Around her, people made little effort to enlarge the distance from the track. Checking where she stood, she saw a yellow line underneath her feet, signaling the minimal distance one should keep away from the track when a train entered the station. Taking a little step back so she was safely behind the line, she made a mental note to never upset her mother again. Having to deal with a bustling crowd like this was a nuisance.

Her blue eyes watched the train entrance she was standing very near to, a big black hole. One part of her wanted to keep watching, so she'd see the express train enter the station and rush by. Another part of her didn't want to look because she knew it'd startle her. Then again, the thrill of not knowing when the train would come by was strangely exciting…

A push to her back made her gasp for breath as she nearly lost her balance on her high heels. She turned around angrily. What fool would dare push her so close to the track… She felt her anger dissipate as she saw who was standing in front of her.

"What are you doing here?" She stepped on the yellow line, standing in front of him. "And why did you do that to me?" She finished the question with anger, jabbing him in his chest. His mischievous smile made her frown, but feel at ease at the same time. He seemed back to his former self.

"I saw you and I thought I'd surprise you," he spoke, his voice attractively coated with thick sugary sweetness. Usually she loved that voice, but now she wasn't so convinced. He noticed, and upon seeing one of her brows rise with a skeptic suspicion, he continued speaking minus the sugarcoating. "And I wanted to apologize."

Her expression changed and softened. "Really? What for?" She thought she already knew what he was going to apologize for, but she'd make him spell every word out to her. She hoped he was going to apologize for yesterday, for what he had done with that bitch.

"It's about yesterday," he admitted, and the girl felt her hopes rise. "I wasn't being myself and I shouldn't have done what I did. It was low, and I acted out of place for doing so. I'm sorry."

She bit her lip slightly. He sounded so sincere… and what was one slip up going to do? Seeing him kiss that bitch had been awful, it had infuriated her. It had been a nasty thing for him to do and she had hated him at that moment. They were supposed to be a couple. He was hers. She should forgive him, right? He needed forgiveness…

"It's okay. But I have a plan, and you're going to cooperate with me. That bitch is going to pay dearly." But she also wanted revenge. He would need to prove to her that the pink menace meant nothing to him.

He smiled, eyes narrowing. She loved that look on him. He looked so… so stunningly… evil. "As you wish. Will you forgive me?"

She smiled as well, leaning into him as he took her into his arms. "I do," she murmured, and then met his lips in a kiss. It was passionate and intense, though short. But she didn't care as she pulled back and stared into his rich brown eyes. He was hers again.

"About what I just said," he started, trailing his fingers up her cheek and face.

"Hmm, what is it?" Her pale blue irises looked up at him with curiosity.

"I lied."

She blinked, not able to process his words. Her mouth opened to speak, but no word came out as she searched for the words that formed a fitting reply. "I…" she stammered, not comprehending. "…what?"

He shoved her away, making her stumble backwards on her heels.

Breath escaped her as she placed one of her feet underneath her, but did not feel the ground. She fell six feet down and landed on the track. Adrenaline pumping through her veins, the girl crawled up, barely feeling the pain in her back but not having the strength to get up anyway. Her gaze went up, searching wildly for that person. Her breath was ragged as she couldn't find him. People were pointing at her, most had wide eyes, and some had a hand covering their mouth as if they were horrified.

There he was, his face in the crowd. His beautiful face. He was looking at her. He wasn't horrified, he didn't look upset. He was calm, stared at her with what seemed like mild interest.

Her heart beat loudly, so loud the harsh beats could be felt in her throat. She couldn't get a word out, but her mouth opened and she tried to speak. Her voice didn't cooperate; her throat seemed swollen, tightly shut.

His eyes with their beautiful rich brown irises, they were looking at her. But they weren't looking, not at her. They didn't see her. He didn't see her. He didn't care.

Tears welled up in her eyes, rolled over her cheeks, undoing her heavy makeup a little with every new streak.

People started screaming, yelling loudly, and pointing to her left. The crying girl turned her head, and gasped at the sight that met her eyes.

The express train.

* * *

Bright green eyes stared back at her in the mirror. The outfit she had chosen to wear looked great. Then why didn't she feel satisfied with it? A blond guy came to stand next to her in the mirror, scrutinizing her appearance. After a moment, he pointed at her jeans. "Take those off and wear a skirt, hmm."

Sakura frowned. Was that it? "What skirt? Go get."

Deidara's mirror image smiled with amusement. "Yes ma'am." He walked away and appeared again a minute later, standing behind her and holding a red skirt in front of her, making it appear she had it on.

Sakura made an obvious thinking-face. "Hmm, this is truly what you believe to be right?"

"Are you questioning my taste?" he retaliated, fake offended, to which she had trouble keeping herself from laughing. "You should wear this with black tights and those hot black 4" heels I got you, hmm."

The girl's eyebrows rose. "You serious?" She could barely walk on those heels.

"Very serious," Deidara said, dropping the red skirt to the ground and encircling her waist with his arms, hugging her to his body, his face on her left shoulder. "You'll look drop dead sexy, I'll guarantee you that." When he saw her smile, he planted a kiss in her neck and let her go. "Go get dressed, I'll pack your bag for you. We'll eat in the car."

"Aye," she replied, getting out of her jeans. "If only someone hadn't forgotten to set the alarm clock, we could have eaten at home, like normal people do!" She had to shout, because he was currently in the kitchen preparing their food. She heard him laugh and shout back: "Fuck normal people! They aren't worth shit!"

Sakura had to laugh herself at his words, finishing putting some black tights on. The red skirt quickly followed and now she was looking through her shoe collection—she was still astonished whenever she thought about the fact that she was now the proud owner of an _entire collection_ of shoes—searching for the heels her blond roommate had mentioned. Finding them, she sat down on the bed and looked at them with an incredulous look on her face. "Well, here goes nothing," she muttered at herself silently.

"Hello sexy," Deidara greeted her when she entered the living room. His scrupulous gaze was on her, the entire walk to the couch where she sat down. "Not half bad walking skills I see, hmm."

"Did my best," she sighed. "You know, I can't guarantee you I'll be able to walk on them for an entire day."

The guy huffed. "Sure you do. You want to be pretty? You'll have to suffer for it, hmm."

The pink haired girl let out a whining noise as she slouched on the couch. "But I don't wanna…"

Deidara shushed her. "Don't whine. Breakfast's ready, don't start eating yet." He walked over to the girl, putting her bag down in front of her, then went back to the kitchen. "Put on makeup, we're almost leaving, hmm."

She gave him a look. "You saying I need makeup to look good?" Usually she wasn't one to always put makeup on whenever she went out in public, which included going to school. Being commanded by a guy to put on makeup ticked her off a bit.

Deidara returned to her with a glass of water, which she took, and with an energizer drink for himself. He sat down on the couch next to her, taking a couple of gulps from his drink. "No, I'm saying you need to look decent to match with your clothes. You also need to do your hair, at that."

Sakura nearly spat out her water. "What? You haven't even brushed yourself!"

"Did too. You just didn't see it. I take very good care of myself, appearance is important, hmm." His lips tugged upwards in a smile when he saw her get angry, fighting to keep herself under control. Good thing she managed to succeed.

"Well fine. You brush my hair while I do my makeup. Deal?"

He didn't even need to think about that. "No. Do it yourself, you're a big girl."

"Oh please, smartass. You know you seem pretty gay right now, with your clothing advice, the 'put on makeup' command, the 'who wants to be pretty must suffer' statement and 'I take good care of myself, appearance is important' stuff." She had said it with a humorous undertone, but still caused him to turn his head and watch her sharply.

"I'm an artist. I care about aesthetics, hmm."

His voice had a sharp edge, betraying anger. Under his heavy and intense gaze, Sakura suddenly felt very small. Also, she felt very stupid for even daring to call him gay and forgetting about his artistic nature. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have said that."

He stared at her for a moment longer, then turned away and sighed, taking a gulp from his energizer. "Apology accepted."

Sakura felt relieved. Shaking her head slightly at herself, she began emptying her glass of water. When she was done, she looked over at Deidara and noticed he had indeed brushed his hair, for it looked neat and untangled. But it lacked something… it was his ponytail.

"Hey, do you want me to tie your hair together?" she offered, trying to make amends for her mistake.

He looked rather surprised at her offer. "Sure, hmm."

The girl grinned and put her glass down on the table, then got a brush out of her bag. "Okay, sit with your back turned to me." He did as told, and she started dragging the brush through his long golden blond hair. Upon closer look, he had been right about taking good care of himself. His hair was full, rich in color, long, healthy looking, strong and not a single dead end was to be found. It was gorgeous, and Sakura felt herself become a little envious. Going with her fingers through his locks, she relished in the feeling of his soft strands on her skin.

"I love your hair."

Her sudden, genuine statement made Deidara chuckle. "Why thank you, hmm."

Sakura put the brush away and carefully put his hair in a high ponytail. Once done, she smiled at herself proudly. "There you go!"

Deidara turned to face her, looking somewhat amused with her. "Thanks for your effort, but I'm afraid this isn't what I had envisioned wearing."

Sakura frowned, confused. "Why, what's wrong?"

"This," he pointed to his hair, neatly pulled up, "is a ponytail. What I usually wear is a topknot. See the difference there?"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Ponytail, topknot, same thing to me. Is the difference so vast it's important?"

"Yeah, yes it is." Deidara pulled the tie out of his hair, letting his hair fall down again.

A sigh escaped her lips, and she looked up at him with a small smile. "Whatever, artist."

He grinned back at her. "That's right, hmm."

Sometime later the both of them were sitting in Deidara's car, one that was definitely not the one he had the day Sakura had met him, but she decided not to comment on that. This car was way more expensive looking than the previous one, being a sporty Porsche. The blond man seemed very proud of his car, making sure to push it well over the speed limits in town. Sakura could only laugh at his antics, trusting him to not get them both killed in an accident.

They arrived at Juudai High soon enough, or rather too soon according to Sakura, who wouldn't have minded spending some more time—if not the rest of the day—with Deidara instead of having to slave over schoolwork.

"Have a good day, hmm." Deidara reached out and pushed a strand of pink hair behind her left ear. "I'm sure you'll get loads of comments today… positive ones." He smiled at her when she blushed lightly.

"Thanks… let's hope so."

"Don't be so insecure. You have no reason to be."

His words struck a chord within her, and Sakura felt the unresistable urge to hug him. Giving in to her feelings, she leaned over as good and as bad as it went with the limited space in the car, embracing him. Deidara didn't mind, wrapping his arms around her frame.

He pulled back a little bit, moving closer to her face, making brief eye contact before initiating a kiss. Sakura let him, not minding at all. In fact, she loved it. It seemed fitting in that moment, like he was her caring boyfriend, giving her compliments and wishing her good luck. If this was what having a boyfriend was like all the time… she yearned for one very badly.

When the kiss ended, Sakura felt full of joy… and weird things swirling around in her stomach. In a split second, she wondered if she was having a crush on him.

Three knocks on the window made the girl jump in her seat and rapidly turn around with a gasp. A familiar redhead stood outside the car, near the passenger seat door. He looked slightly perturbed, but his annoyance was so small that she wondered whether it was there at all or if she was imagining it. Sakura turned and faced Deidara one last time. "See you later." She answered his smile with one of her own and exited the car. A couple of seconds later the Porsche was out of sight, blending in with traffic.

"What's the sigh about, brat?"

The voice broke through her thoughts and she turned around, coming face to face with Sasori. "Nothing."

He looked skeptical. "Hmm, really? It sounded like a forlorn sigh of the lovesick kind."

Sakura sputtered angrily, wide eyed. "That… no! Ugh. It's none of your business."

He watched her a moment longer, a faraway look getting into his eyes momentarily, before he nodded. "Yes, you're right." He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him as he walked away. "Come, I have a surprise planned for you."

"A surprise?" Sakura blinked, not bothering tearing her hand out of his firm hold. There was no use.

"Yes, and I think you'll rather like it. By the way, you look good today. A little trashy, but overall fine."

"A little…?" Oh, this guy… he had a gift for ruining her mood. She held in a growl, but with difficulty. "What did I say yesterday? You know, about setting a good mood?" She doubted he remembered, and if he did he was a douche for acting this way.

"I remember just fine. Are you excited for this afternoon?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Absolutely. And you're totally evading my question."

They entered the building, Sasori took her straight to the garderobe where he took the liberty of taking her red coat off and hanging it on the rack, along with his own black one. He stepped in front of her, holding both her hands in his own, his half lidded eyes staring into hers. "Today will be a great day."

Sakura looked at him questioningly, suspicion mixed with genuine curiosity. Sasori was acting… out of character. Not like how she knew him to be. "What has you so excited? I'm sure it's not the prospect of our date. It can't be, I mean, it's not that special. So what is it?"

Sasori smiled in his usual lazy way, though he also seemed a little mischievous. Judging from that spark in his eyes, there was definitely something going on. "You're partly right. That's all I'll let you know for now."

The bell rang loudly through the hallways, causing students to abandon their activities and rush to class. Sakura made to leave as well, but Sasori didn't relinquish his hold on her.

"Before we separate, why don't you give me a kiss first, like you gave Deidara just now."

Sakura's eyes widened. How dare he ask for such a thing so bluntly? "What? No, of course not! What did you ever do to deserve it? Did you offer a permanent place for me to stay, like Deidara did?"

"Don't be like that," Sasori responded. He didn't even frown at her words, something that unsettled the girl. Was he in such a good mood? "This is an important day," he continued, voice charming and soft. "This is a day you'll remember for the rest of your life. Now… kiss me."

She felt chills run through her body at those words, but strangely enough they seemed to come from excitement rather than anger or fright. And so, she felt compelled to do as he told her, while thinking of what could possibly be in store for her that would be so great that she'd always remember it. Sakura took her hands gently out of his, opting for putting them on his shoulders. She felt his hands come to rest on her waist, and she looked up to see his handsome face, brown eyes focused on her. She leaned up, closing in on him until their lips met.

Then they kissed. To give him a kiss like she had given Deidara in the car would be impossible, for that kiss was based on the emotions and feelings in that moment, emotions and feelings that were very different than the ones she felt right now. But she did her best, and truth be told, she didn't need to try hard. Sasori was a good kisser, and so it didn't take long for her to lose herself in the kiss, deepening it… enjoying it.

When they finally separated, Sakura was pretty sure Sasori had enjoyed it as much as she had. Putting in some extra effort, she leaned up one last time and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "How was that for a kiss?" she whispered in his ear, and pulled back. Giving him one last smile, she turned around and walked away to class, though she already knew she was late. It was just that she didn't feel like running to class, like she usually did in similar circumstances. She didn't see the point now. She didn't care.

The smile on her face felt like it was glued stuck. She just couldn't get rid of it. Today would be wonderful, she could just feel it.

* * *

Perfectly polished nails tapped impatiently on the wooden tabletop. First the ring finger, followed by the middle finger and then the index finger, again and again, rhythmically expressing the point of anxiousness that had been reached over the course of the morning.

A female hand touched her shoulder in hopes of calming her down. "Don't worry, it's probably nothing."

A sound of frustration escaped the dark skinned girl as she stopped tapping her nails on the table. She turned around, her amber eyes looking at the blond girl. "What do you mean 'it's nothing'? She hasn't answered any of my calls, any of my texts, she isn't at school, I can't reach her telephone at home, something is up! Don't tell me nothing's going on!"

Another girl grabbed her by her shoulders. "Chillax Karui, you can't eat yourself up over this. Come on, she's fine. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself."

Karui sighed, still frustrated, but defeated for now. She felt angry and tired at the same time. Tired for fretting about her best friend Ami all morning, angry that Ami was ignoring her, Ami's parents were ignoring her and that she wasn't getting information from anybody. "I feel left out." Both her hands went to her forehead, as if easing a headache.

"We're all left out," the blond girl spoke back. "Hey, you know what will cheer you up?" She smiled brightly when Karui looked up at her. "Now that Ami's gone, you're team captain for the day! Yay!"

The black haired girl sighed again and smiled halfheartedly. "Thanks Britney." She turned her attention to the rest of the squad. "You hear that bitches? Do as I say!" She pumped a fist up in the air.

"Yes mistress," was heard from one of the cheerleaders, and they all burst out laughing out of the sheer ridiculousness of that comment, including Karui herself.

"Having fun, ladies?" Puck said, joining the girls at the table in the cafeteria along with a couple other guys.

"Yeah," Karui replied. "Girls, thanks for cheering me up." She smiled at the lot of them, and motioned for Britney to come closer before she hugged her.

"That's cute," a redhead said as he joined the group too.

"Hey Sasori," Puck called, welcoming the guy, receiving a 'yo' back.

"Sasori, tell me, have you heard anything from Ami?" The girl just felt a little better, but seeing the redhead immediately brought thoughts of worry back to her. Karui continued, "I haven't heard from her all morning."

"I'm sorry, I haven't," Sasori responded. "I thought you two were close though. What happened?" He saw Karui's face contort and he inwardly smiled. It was fun playing with people's feelings.

"I don't know," she replied. "That's what bothers me most. She always lets me know whenever something's going on. I'm always the first to know, we're besties. She and I—"

"_I got a man with two left feet  
and when he dances not to the beat  
I really think that he should know  
that his rhythm—"_

At the sudden sound of the song, Karui's hands immediately went to her bag. She grabbed inside it hastily, searching for her phone, and finally found it. She answered the call. "Ya hello?"

Everyone studied the girl listening to the voice on the other end of the line. At first her face lit up, happy to hear the familiar voice. "Hey miss J!" Then the smile vanished, replaced with a concerned look. Slowly, the concern ebbed away and turned into disbelief. She frowned, shaking her head a little. After this, she started breathing heavier, her eyes became wider, and she swallowed. Her lips became a thin line. "Okay. Thanks. I'm so sorry."

She hung up. Slowly her hand with the phone came down. Her eyes were moist and she closed them, putting the phone down on the table and bringing her hands to her face.

The first sob came, and at that point the girls went to gather around her, trying to console her while at the same time trying to find out what had happened. What could be so bad that it brought the tough Karui to tears in only a moment?

"Whoa, what's going on?" Puck did his best to not sound demanding, but he still received glares from a couple of cheerleaders for being so direct. "Come on… please say."

Karui had trouble speaking. "Ami…" She sobbed some more, tears now falling freely from her eyes.

"What happened to Ami?" Sasori chimed in, gently persuading the crying girl. "Did she have an accident?"

At this, Karui burst out into cries. Students sitting at the surrounding tables started to direct their attention to the popular table, wondering what was going on.

"Way to go Sasori, now we'll never find out before the end of first break." Sean glared at him, but was shaken as the redhead sent a bone chilling glare right back at him. When Sasori looked away, Sean quickly made a cross on his chest, muttering an unintelligible prayer.

"Well, Karui?" Sasori continued, his smooth voice carrying a gentle tone.

"It's… she…" the girl gasped for air between sobs. After a couple of moments, she finally managed to get a hold of herself enough to explain what had happened. "It's Ami… She was going to school, and at the subway station, at the platform she… she was… she fell on the track… and then… then the train… and now…" She started to sob again, unable to hold back any longer.

"…she's dead," Sasori finished softly, but everyone around him heard. The truth that Karui could barely get past her lips, spoken so fluently out of his mouth. Ami was dead.

It went without saying that the surrounding students spread the news like wildfire, and before the end of first break everyone in school knew their head cheerleader had died in a terrible accident that morning. Just what exactly that accident entailed, nobody knew. Regardless, when the news reached a certain pink haired girl, she felt like her premonition that morning had come true. Despite the fact she wouldn't tell anyone about it…

It was a wonderful day indeed.

* * *

It was second break. Sakura sat in the cafeteria at a table near the window. As usual, she sat by herself, but she wasn't bothered by it. Her concentration wasn't what it always had been today; she just couldn't seem to focus on school. So during the various classes she had started a texting frenzy with her friends Ino, Hinata and Tenten. Mobile internet was awesome.

Sakura ate a cheeseburger while she read Ino's newest message, trying hard not to laugh.

_Sakura stop these mofos from messing whit me! I gotta concentr8! -12:04, Goldie_

Tenten and Hinata's reactions followed not soon after Ino's tormented statement.

_Oh puhlease Ino its not like your so interested in school all of a sudden O:-) -12:04, Browniez_

_I think it has more to do with the sub standing in front of the classroom ;) -12:05, Violetta_

Sakura giggled and held the cheeseburger in her mouth as she typed a response.

_Oh, Ino has her eyes set on some man candy huh? -12:05, PinkPantera_

_You should see this guy Sakura! Totally drool worthy *Y* -12:05, Goldie _

Okay, now she outright laughed, dropping the cheeseburger onto the plate. This was so typical of Ino, having the hots for a cute substitute teacher.

_How old is he? -12:05, PinkPantera_

_Too old Sakura, too old, trust me xD -12:06, Browniez _

_Hes not too old! A little older I guess, but not much -12:06, Goldie_

_I think he's about 20 -12:06, Violetta _

_See, thats not old at all you loonies -12:06, Goldie _

_Ino ur freakin 17 yrs old -12:06, Browniez _

Sakura watched the replies come, starting to eat her cheeseburger again. Was twenty really too old for a seventeen year old? If so… Deidara was nineteen. Was he too old? Maybe it was about time to tell her friends about her whole ordeal.

_Hey you guys, I want to tell you something and I want you to keep it between us okay? -12:08, PinkPantera _

_Of course Sakura, whats up? -12:08, Browniez _

_You know we wont tell on you Sakura. Besides who would we tell anyway? -12:08, Goldie _

_You don't want Naruto to know? -12:08, Violetta _

Sakura was amazed. Hinata saw right through her. Naruto would be worried sick and she didn't need him to. She was fine. He'd know eventually, just not right now.

_Yes Hinata. He will know sometime soon, but only when I tell him. You ready for it? -12:09, PinkPantera _

_Bring it on, Im sure we can handle it -12:09, Goldie _

_You know I got kicked out, but I got into a fight with them yesterday and now Im not sure Im ever going back. I live with a guy now and hes nineteen. Don't judge -12:10, PinkPantera _

_Sakura do I need to give you the freakin headsup too? ur freakin 17 yrs old! -12:10, Browniez _

_Hey I said dont judge! -12:10, PinkPantera _

_Just kidding sweetpie :P -12:10, Browniez _

_Anyway, I like this guy a lot. I feel hopeless -12:11, PinkPantera _

…_ly in love? :D -12:11, Goldie _

_I say go for it! You deserve a nice boyfriend -12:11, Violetta _

_Shaddup Ino please! -12:11, PinkPantera _

_Hahahahahaahhahaa! -12:11, Goldie _

_Ino's going crazy, you should see her :P -12:11, Violetta _

Sakura rolled her eyes. She could imagine that. Ino was probably dying from laughing so hard and Sakura hoped she was being kicked out of class for it. At the same time, she could appreciate Ino getting a laugh out of her situation. Maybe she was being too much of a drama queen.

_I will grace you with some more info girls. Theres also another guy from school, hes in one of my classes. We have a date in a couple hours -12:12, PinkPantera _

_You mean you like two guys? -12:12, Violetta _

_Sakura you naughty girl, I knew you had it in you hahah -12:12, Browniez _

_Im just a lil insecure about all this. I mean, the guy I live with doesnt know I like the one at school. And to make more drama: he knows and hates him. They dont like each other at all :( -12:13, PinkPantera _

_Sakura girl, enjoy the drama. Imagine that years from now you wont be pretty anymore and then youll feel happy again, promise ;) -12:13, Goldie _

_That's supposed to make her feel better? -12:13, Violetta _

_Helps me every time -12:13, Goldie_

_:P Ino you ditz -12:14, Browniez _

A noise came from behind the pink haired girl, abruptly pulling her attention away from her phone. Before she had time to turn her head and look, two arms trapped her against the cushioned bench she was sitting on. They weren't taking hold of her, but the hands entwined before her as the person leaned on her.

The smell that invaded her nose was one she was already familiar with and was gradually getting accustomed to. He didn't smell that bad, after all. In fact, he smelled quite nice. Of course he would hear the opposite if he ever asked.

"Interesting. You'd rather have me and him getting along? I'm afraid that won't work out."

Sakura's eyes widened as she realized he could see the chat on her phone. She promptly covered the cellphone with her hand. "You can't read that," she hissed, "that's private."

"No Sakura. The matters you're discussing in there are private. In fact, I thought it was between the two of us." Though the words were spoken friendly enough, his voice betrayed a disapproving tone.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Stop being such a jerk. My phone is private." She tried to turn around but didn't succeed. "Why are you even doing this… this eavesdropping? And I don't like you sneaking around and stalking me like a freaking ninja." When she realized she wasn't getting any answers, she sighed and looked out the windows. "Sit down, will you?"

Sasori didn't let himself be told twice and within moments he had sat down next to her. "Cheeseburgers aren't exactly healthy." Not that he cared much about health, but he liked bugging her.

She shrugged. "I felt like it, and it's not like I—wait." Her head turned and she could finally look at his face. She had finished the cheeseburger some time ago. "Just how long have you been standing there spying on me?" The lazy smile that she got from him did nothing but infuriate her.

_Oh lord, hes coming! :D -12:17, Goldie_

_That smiley face is totally inappropriate -12:17, Violetta_

Sasori eyed the incoming messages with mild interest. "What are your girlfriends getting themselves into?"

Sakura rolled her eyes at him avoiding the question. "I guess you haven't been standing around long enough to have read all that has been said so far…" Though he did get to read the most important matters, the matters he wasn't supposed to read. She sighed, feeling a bit frustrated. "Ino has… that's goldie, by the way… she has a crush on their substitute teacher."

"Ah, naughty girl. She's into older men?"

The girl blanched. "What? No, no, the guy is about twenty, according to them." The visual images of Ino with older men was very much disturbing her mind. Unaware she was doing it, Sakura literally shook her head, trying to rid herself of her thoughts.

Sasori had to keep himself from grinning at the way she acted. "Have her send a picture, let's see how old he really is." Not waiting for her response, he took her phone and typed the inquiry himself.

Sakura stared at him, feeling anger boil up. Her eyes were narrowed as she watched him help himself. The nerve of that guy… "How dare you take my things whenever you want? Don't you have any respect for other people's property?"

A short bark of laughter escaped the redhead and he flitted his eyes to hers for a fraction of a moment, though he quickly schooled his expression back to neutral. If only she knew how he regarded other people. It wasn't just a lack of respect for others' property; it went much farther than that. It was a lack of respect for life in general. "They're trying to get a picture of him right now."

"Did you not hear what I just said, or are you intentionally ignoring me?" She was about to say more, but she cut herself short. "Never mind that, of course you're intentionally ignoring me. But you know what? I want you to keep your hands off my stuff. And I want my book back." And she was talking to herself. Sasori was merrily typing away with her friends, not paying her any attention. "And I want your attention!" she continued in a louder voice, but the response was no different than before. Exasperated, she began to resort to a childish move and started waving her hand in front of his eyes.

Now that did get a response. Sasori looked up from the little screen and directed his attention to her. He gave her a pointed look. "You're being a little annoying, so stop it." He looked back at the phone.

Sakura was silent, completely baffled for a moment. Then she felt like she was about to explode. Her fingers twitched, but she managed to control herself. She slowly moved closer until she was sitting against him. He didn't react, still focused on the screen.

Sakura contemplated her next move. She wanted to hurt him, but elbowing him in the face and taking her phone back would make her seem batshit crazy so that was a no-go. Shouting in his ear to forcefully stop him from ignoring her didn't sound like the right thing to do either. Grab the phone and run away… no, he was blocking the escape route. Simply talking to him didn't work, so reasoning with him was out of the question. At a loss for what action to take, she sighed languidly and lay her head down on his shoulder, watching his conversation with her friends. He was such an asshole.

His right hand came up, going through her pink locks. To Sakura, it felt like he was rewarding her for being compliant. He raked his fingers through her hair, over her scalp, like some sort of strange massage. She found it to be a very relaxing feeling and she sighed once more, her frustration with him slowly ebbing away to the background, though not entirely disappearing.

_I did it you guys! Look at this pretty photo 3 12:25, Goldie _

A file was attached to the conversation. Sakura reached out to her phone, and to her joy Sasori didn't pull it away. Touching the file, she opened it and retracted her hand to watch the photo load.

Both Sasori's and Sakura's eyes widened with recognition when the photo appeared on the screen.

The both of them were silent for a few moments. "The photo isn't clear," Sakura managed to utter eventually, "The lighting needs better—"

"No." Sasori interrupted. "The lighting is fine, the photo is fine. It's undoubtedly him." His expression didn't betray much, but he felt a strange mixture of amusement and suspicion. He glanced sideways and saw that the pink haired girl next to him had a face like an open book, opposing to his own, and she was clearly confused.

"It can't be…" she muttered. "He never told me he was a teacher, he never even insinuated he had—"

"He's not a teacher." After rethinking his words, he added: "as far as I know of." He wasn't a teacher, it couldn't be, he was sure of it. "It can't be. He's just a brat." What was that boy thinking?

Sakura shook her head slowly. "But he's standing there right now… Can I have my phone back now?" To her surprise, Sasori gave it to her immediately after she asked. She didn't waste any time enlarging the distance between them by moving to the window, sitting on the other side of the cushioned bench.

_Your not gonna believe this girls, this is insane -12:28, PinkPantera _

_Whatsup girl? -12:28, Browniez _

_I know your sub teach and not just that -12:28, PinkPantera _

_What else? Spill it! :D -12:28, Goldie _

_That guy is him -12:29, PinkPantera _

_What do you mean? -12:29, Goldie_

_- PinkPantera is offline -_

* * *

"So in other words, the outcome of the second world war was determined by the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hmm. Any questions?"

A hand went up. "Yeah, so if Japan wasn't bombed, the war wouldn't ever have ended?"

"That's not what I said," the teacher responded while walking through the classroom at a slow pace. "The war most certainly would have ended, just not so quickly and efficiently. Without the nukes, it probably would have taken another couple years, hmm. With the invention of nuclear bombs, we invented a way to have the upper hand at battle and the ability to start or end a war within a moment's notice."

Sounds of awe resounded through the classroom, though in some cases you couldn't tell whether they were made because of the info, or because of the teacher himself… whom most of the girls found to be quite awe inspiring.

"So in short, what have we learned from this story?" Several answers were spoken out loud but none of them satisfying, so the teacher decided to indulge them. "Listen up and listen well, hmm! The most important lesson you'll learn in your life: if you don't like 'em, then nuke 'em!"

The class burst out in cheers and the teacher walked back to his desk, feeling very much satisfied. "Class dismissed, hmm." On cue, the bell rang.

A blond girl sauntered over to the teacher's desk. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder as she waited until she got his attention. Her two friends kept hanging around the entrance of the classroom, giving her funny faces and thumbs ups, making the blond girl grin at the sight of them.

At last the teacher looked up from his papers. "Can I help you with something, hmm?" His icy blue eyes were several shades lighter than her own.

"Yeah," she nodded. "How old are you?" When she saw him raise an eyebrow she quickly elaborated. "Sorry if it sounds rude but you know, you look pretty young so I was wondering about your age. Are you some kind of genius who graduated young or something?"

The girl in front of him, who was talking fast and used lots of hand gestures as she talked, nearly made the young substitute teacher laugh aloud. "I sure am a genius, thanks for noticing." How was it possible that a girl could be so obvious? Well, he sure didn't mind. "So about my age… what's it to you, hmm?"

"Ah, that…" The girl's cheeks turned a little red, but not overly so. "Well, depending on your age, I might decide to ask you out." Her eyes were lidded as she looked at him, a coy smile grazing her lips. "So how about it, master Kawamoto? How old are you?"

The blond teacher cocked his head at her. What a bold girl, trying to seduce him. His eyes narrowed a little and he started grinning as he leaned back in his chair. "Then let me ask you first: how old are _you_ that makes you think you can go out with me?"

"Old enough," the girl responded with an air of arrogance.

This did cause the young man to laugh aloud. "You got some nerve, girl. What's your name, hmm?"

"My name is Ino Yamanaka." She held out her hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

The blond man stood up and walked around the desk over to her. "Haruka Kawamoto." He briskly shook her hand, but when she wanted to retract hers he kept his hold on her, pulling her closer. The surprised look in her eyes quickly disappeared when he leaned in next to her ear and started speaking. "So what kind of date did you have in mind, hmm?"

Ino chuckled lightly. "I didn't have anything in mind. But I still don't know your age."

The man leaned back, looking into her eyes with a bright smile. "I'm nineteen, actually. Surprised?"

Her eyes widened with glee and she began to wear a smile of her own. "It's better than I had expected. I'm seventeen by the way, and I'm almost eighteen, so we're not far apart in age." She winked at him.

Haruka let go of her and walked to the door. "I'm sorry girls," he said as he leaned outside and looked at a brunette and a dark haired girl, "but I'm gonna close, so off you go." He waved them away and went back inside before closing the door.

"I like your hair." Ino leaned on his desk while watching him approach. His long hair was colored a rich golden blond, as opposed to her own which was much paler in color. Some of his bangs hung in front of the left side of his face, almost comically mirroring her own hair style as she wore some of her bangs in front of the right side of her face. She had all of her hair up in a high ponytail, and he had most of his hair up in a topknot, but also leaving a large part of his hair down.

Haruka halted in front of her, leaning on the desk with both of his hands at her side. He watched her for a moment before he spoke. "So, how about we…" His left hand trailed up her arm and up to her head, where he brushed her bangs out of her face. "…get together right now, hmm." He closed in on her, trapping her to the desk.

Ino just laughed. "No way, I have class in a moment. Actually, I think I'm already late."

"I can write you a note." Haruka brushed his nose against hers, grinning widely, eyes locked onto hers. "No need for it to be a problem."

The blond girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Are you free after school?"

"What? I don't want to wait that long, hmm."

His offended expression made her giggle. "Oh, come here…" She pulled him to her and took his lower lip between her teeth gently, then started nibbling on it. He accepted her token of apology and immersed himself in a heated kiss.

"So I'll see you after school. Be there." Ino walked out the classroom, blowing a kiss his way right before she left his sight.

Several corridors away two girls stood waiting near two double doors that lead outside. They looked up at the loud yelling of their names. "Tenten! Hinata!" The blond girl came running, skidding to a stop next to them. "I got a date with mister hotpants, whoo!" she cheered, doing a happy dance that helped letting out her pent up joy and energy.

Tenten laughed, "You weirdo, you hit on a teacher, technically that's a felony." She pushed the doors open and ventured outside, the other two following her. After walking down three stair steps she went off the paved path, coming to a large grassy field with a couple of trees. Though the three of them were supposed to have class, none of them were planning on attending.

Tenten turned around, now walking backwards, and pointed at Ino accusingly, though her facial expression was enough for her friends to know she wasn't at all being serious. "Little whore, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"Ah, I'm hurt!" Ino proclaimed, gripping her shirt where her heart was in a mock gesture. "But technically, he's not a teacher. He's a sub, that's different."

"Maybe in your world," Tenten laughed.

"Don't you girls wonder about what Sakura tried to say?"

Tenten and Ino stopped their fake argument and watched her. "I do wonder a little," Tenten started.

"But if it was truly important, why did she go offline?" Ino interrupted. "So she knew him from somewhere, I'll be glad to hear about it some other time. For now though… I got myselves a date with Haruka! Booyah!" She pumped a fist in the air and started laughing like a maniac, which would have freaked both Hinata and Tenten out, were it not for the fact that they were quite used to their friend's outbursts.

They stopped near a tree, sitting down in the shade it provided. The weather was good, the sun was shining brightly in a mostly blue sky and it was windless, so the temperature felt higher than it actually was.

Tenten sighed and fell back into the grass. "I love how the weather turned around. This morning it looked pretty disheartening."

"Yeah, I wish I brought my sunglasses with me," Hinata added.

Ino was looking up at the branches of the tree, hovering into the sky above her. Her thoughts went to the end of their group chat, where Sakura suddenly went offline. What had Sakura wanted to tell them? Well, no use to fret over it. Sakura probably had her own issues. Talking about issues… "Tenten, Hinata, remember Sakura said she liked two guys at the moment? What kind of guys do you think they are?"

"Um…" Tenten thought aloud, "I think one of them is emo and dark and the other one is happy and bright. Get the picture?"

Hinata chuckled. "That sounds like a familiar situation! A little too familiar actually… I hope she doesn't get into that sort of thing again."

Ino heard them both speculate and her lips formed a little smile. "It would be just like her though. Wait…" She grabbed her phone.

Tenten sat up and crawled over to her. "What'cha doing?"

"Just wait…"

Taking a brush out of her handbag, Hinata started going through her long violet hair. She wasn't pushy; she didn't need to be told to wait.

"There, sent," Ino proclaimed. "Now, hopefully she'll respond soon." She looked at her two friends with a mischievous glint in her eyes. When she got both their attention, she grinned. "I asked her to send us two pictures. One of mystery guy 1 and one of mystery guy 2. I mean, what better opinion to get than ours, right?"

* * *

It took almost a year for me to update. I'm so sorry you guys. But know this: I will not give up on this story, ever. And true to the title of this chapter, I have a surprise for you: the next chapter has already been written! Exactly two weeks from now, I will update again :)

Also, I want to give thanks to xXFallenxBeautyxX for giving me that extra push to continue writing again.

Reviews keep me going people! I'll update anyway, but I love reading your thoughts. Your words inspire me.


	23. II, 8: The point of no return

II

8, The point of no return  
_( .:now we can only move forward:. )_

Sakura and Sasori stood outside the cinema, looking at the posters of the movies that were currently on display. Sasori had taken the girl out on their date after school and they were going to see a movie. The question was: what movie? Sakura's eyes went over the comedies and dramas, though she secretly wanted to see a horror movie. Sasori's eyes lingered on the thrillers and psychological crime movies. Both realizing that the other was looking at totally different categories, neither had decided to speak up yet.

"What did you have in mind?" Sakura dared to say. Inside her head, she had her fingers crossed for horror. She had already made up her mind that if they did, she'd act like she was afraid just for the excuse of getting to cuddle with him. Oh yes, that sounded good to her. Never mind that she loved horrors.

Sasori emitted a sigh. "I'm afraid it's nothing you'd like."

"Try me. We have to decide on something."

Frowning slightly in pensive thought, Sasori came up with a solution. "I know what to do. Follow me." He brought her to a big flyer hanging on the wall with a list of all the movies. "Close your eyes." She did as he told her to, and then he spun her around a couple of times, making her feel dizzy. "Now point somewhere in front of you. We'll go see the movie you pick."

So Sakura pointed, and then opened her eyes to see the name of the movie she had picked. "Inglorious basterds. That sounds like… fun?"

Sasori shrugged. "Inglorious basterds it is."

Though neither expected much out of the movie, they were both very pleasantly surprised with how it turned out: a historical humorous action movie set in World War II, France, that was in fact hysterical, cruel and bizarre at the same time. Sasori found himself very much amused with the movie's macabre humor and mind games that were being played, and Sakura was happy with the amount of harsh fights and hack and slash. By the end of the movie they sat with huge grins on their faces, watching the epic finale where Hitler and all his associates were shot down with machine guns while the movie theatre burned down and people screamed for their lives. And after the finale, the epilogue came in which the final macabre—albeit humorous—twist was revealed… a twist that really should have been expected after seeing the entire movie.

Sakura walked out of the cinema laughing, still feeling excited and pumped up because of the movie, Sasori by her side. "That was by far the best decision you've ever made! Picking a movie like that, it was meant to be! I still can't believe it!"

An amused grin played on the redhead's face as he heard her talk about the movie. "Glad you liked it that much. I must say I feel that I've spent the money well."

Sakura chuckled at the way he admitted he liked the movie too. She grabbed his hand, "Well, I really liked spending this afternoon with you, seeing this movie. I'll see you tomorrow? Wait no, tomorrow's Saturday. See you Monday?"

He shook his head, a modest smile gracing his lips. "You think the date is over now? You know what time it is?" She shrugged, not knowing what he was getting at, so he obliged her: "Dinner."

And so he took her out for dinner, bringing her to some small cozy restaurant where they sat in the back, enjoying enough privacy to let them feel as if they were the only ones there.

Sometime during their dinner, Sakura managed to sneak a picture of him without him noticing. She had gotten Ino's text where she was asked to send pictures of the two guys she was having issues with, so she decided she'd do so the moment she had the opportunity. At school, her phone went dead so she had to reload the battery to make it come alive again. Unfortunately, she hadn't had the time to finish her chat with her friends yet. Or rather, she hadn't _found_ the time to do so, the right opportunity.

She wasn't entirely sure how to tell Ino that their substitute teacher was actually Sakura's housemate… and a little more than that. In the past, she and Ino had had issues about boys before. At the time, they had both liked the same boy and it had almost ruined their friendship, if it weren't for Sakura backing off eventually. To think she had really been into him… Sasuke. In retrospect, she might have actually loved him. But that was in the past, and in the present a new problem had arised:

Deidara. Who, somehow, was posing as her friends' substitute history teacher. And Ino was into him. How much she was into him, Sakura couldn't tell, but she was a little afraid that it could turn into a déjà vu like situation. This was why, despite already having a picture of Deidara on her phone, she hadn't sent it yet, even after her phone's battery had reloaded some.

In the end she decided to just send the pictures already, not seeing the need to stall any longer. Ino would have to find out eventually, and she'd rather it be sooner than later. Sakura chose the moment when Sasori excused himself to go to the men's room, so he wouldn't get suspicious. Then again, he was suspicious by nature, so her assumption might not have been valid. Still, she sent the pictures.

"You look worried," Sasori commented when he returned to their table. "Afraid you're going to like me?" He sat down and heard her huff.

"No way, jerk. You're stupid." Still, she couldn't help the small smile on her face. She definitely liked him. Even though he was annoying as hell, and arrogant to top it off.

But she also liked Deidara. The moment this thought flitted through her mind, her mood sank again. Ino liked Deidara.

Sasori saw her facial expression change again and wondered what could be on her mind. Standing up, he moved to her side and sat down on the heavily cushioned bench. She looked up at him questioningly, but allowed him to wrap an arm around her and pull her against him. "What's bothering you?" His brown eyes looked into her emerald greens.

Sakura pressed her lips together, sighed and slumped against him. "I like you when you're acting like this." _And it might actually _be_ acting too,_ she thought wistfully. The thought saddened her a bit.

"Like how?"

"Like… nice." _Like I imagine a boyfriend would be._ "Like… you like me. I don't get that feeling from you a lot." He chuckled and she felt the sound reverberate though his chest. It felt lovely to her.

"You better get used to it," Sasori said, tightening his hold on her for a moment, wrapping his other arm around her as well. "Because I like you, and that's that. No need to fret over it." He looked into her eyes. "Just accept it and act appropriately."

She blinked. "Appropriately? Like what?"

"Like so," he responded, and leaned forward to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

Sakura didn't think it would happen, or at least not so soon, but the same feeling of butterflies in her stomach she had felt that morning in the car returned in that moment.

And she loved it.

* * *

Ino awoke after a short nap, finding herself in a giant four poster bed. Stretching her limbs, she looked around herself and heaved a content sigh as she remembered the previous events that day. After school she had met up with Haruka, who had taken her to his apartment where they spent the afternoon together.

She liked to think they had talked a lot and that, to her surprise, she had found out they actually had a lot in common before she decided to have sex with him. But alas, she didn't, and she wasn't ashamed of it either. She supposed that made her a horrible superficial person. A huff escaped her lips, ending in a chuckle. That's right, a horrible superficial person that got laid by a sexy man.

The blond girl lay naked underneath the sheets, her hair completely undone, with her arms up, hands under her head, and a smile on her face. Taking Haruka out had been so easy she would have almost found it to be unbelievable… were it not that she'd managed to wrap even the most difficult of guys around her fingers already. She was used to the victory of getting them into bed with her, and she liked playing around with boys.

She heard the sound of the shower turning off; her handsome blond man was done cleaning himself. To be honest, she'd like a shower as well. After the hot sex they'd had her whole body felt sticky and sweaty, so some cleaning up would be nice.

Ino closed her eyes, stretched again and rolled around in the huge bed until she reached the edge. That was where she sat up and reached for her mobile phone on the nightstand. "Hmm," she mused aloud. "What time is it… oh, passed 7 PM. Enough time to get home without the mother monster going crazy." She sighed and plopped down on the bed again, holding up her phone and checking her messages. "Stupid mom."

Her blue eyes lit up as she read the name of her best friend in her inbox. Her eyes flitted up to the ceiling and she crossed her fingers. "Please have sent the pictures, please have sent the pictures, come on girl!" Fingers moving quickly, she opened the message and cheered when she saw two attachments. Of course she downloaded them immediately.

While waiting for the pictures to finish downloading, she looked at the ceiling again and wondered what kind of guys they'd be. Laughing a bit, she thought back to Tenten's suggestion earlier that day. "One of them is emo and dark, the other happy and bright," she echoed her friend's words. "Hah, well, it would be just typical."

She remembered very well how their friend Naruto always used to try to get Sakura's attention, while the girl only had eye for Sasuke, who in turn had no interest in Sakura and had ended up with Ino. _Not for long though_, Ino thought bitterly. Sasuke, the jerk, had dumped her after only three days. While she had felt a little bad for Sakura at the time, in hindsight she was really glad her best friend didn't have to go through that. Sasuke would have broken her heart like a twig. Ino herself was much tougher in the love department. She'd told Sasuke bloody murder and to go fuck himself, so he knew exactly what kind of an asshole he was. She hadn't wasted a single tear on him.

Sakura hadn't liked a guy since. At least as far Ino knew of, and she liked to think she knew everything there was to know about her pink haired best friend. Hearing a tweeting noise coming from her phone, she grabbed it as fast as she could and eagerly opened the first download.

Blinking, Ino started to nod in appreciation. She saw a guy her age, light skinned and wearing casual but stylish clothes in her opinion. Thank god he wasn't wearing gangster clothes, that would have been a big turn off and she'd have definitely warned Sakura about all the potential hazards surrounding those types of guys.

His hair was short, wild and had a dark, appealing color of red. Personally, she wasn't into redheads at all, but this guy's hair was so red it almost looked dyed. Overall, it looked good. He had pretty eyes too, she noticed. She couldn't really see their color though, which was a shame. He was looking somewhere else, not seeming aware of the camera taking the picture, and that's when Ino realized that Sakura had taken it secretly. This thought made her chuckle and shake her head.

"Pretty boy, I approve," Ino stated, and clicked the picture away. The guy was definitely handsome, and by the looks of it, he had taken her out for dinner. The surroundings in the picture looked like a restaurant of some sort. "He had better pay for her," the girl mused aloud, "Otherwise he's no good boyfriend material. Fuck emancipation. The man pays. Now, the next picture!"

Ino lay very still on the bed. She watched the picture on her phone, face contorted in disbelief.

She abruptly sat up. Thoughts swirled in her mind, trying to rationalize the situation, but failing in its attempt. Sakura's last message in their group chat earlier that day came back to her and she looked it up on her phone.

_That guy is him -12:29, PinkPantera_

"That guy is him," Ino repeated what she read. "That guy is him…" It was one of them, one of the two guys she knew and liked. A nauseous feeling overcame her as she realized she just had sex with someone Sakura liked. She felt like the worst friend in the world, she felt like a cheater. Cheating on your best friend, was that even possible? Apparently it was.

Wide eyed, Ino scrolled up in the screen of her phone, rereading the chat.

_Theres also another guy from school, hes in one of my classes. We have a date in a couple hours _

A date… she had a date with that pretty redhead. He took her out for dinner. They were on a date. Then the other one… who was nineteen years old… who she lived with…

_I live with a guy now and hes nineteen… Anyway, I like this guy a lot… _

Ino felt like the world was crashing down on her. Sakura lived with the blond guy on the second picture… but that guy was Haruka.

She looked around herself, at her surroundings. She had looked around before, but now she was really _looking_. Looking at things that indicated Sakura's presence. She got up and walked around the room. Standing in front of a closet, she opened a door. Before her hung clothes, female clothes. Clothes in Sakura's size. Going through the hanging dresses and shirts, Ino stopped when she came across one familiar garment she _knew_ Sakura had worn before. Taking it off the rack, she brought it to her face and inhaled its scent.

It smelled like Sakura.

Feeling a painful ache in her chest, Ino threw the garment on the bed. She walked around aimlessly for a bit, arms crossed in front of her, pressed tightly against her body. She felt sick, she felt like such a bad person. She felt horrible.

Making up her mind, the girl hurried to her clothes that were lying on the floor and hastily put them on, not caring that she smelled filthy. She felt disgusting already anyway.

The door to the bathroom opened and out came a fully dressed blond young man. Expecting to see a naked girl on his bed, he was stopped in his tracks when he saw Ino already with her clothes on. But what really got to him was the look on her face. She looked upset. "What's wrong, hmm?"

It took some effort on her part to find her voice, but when she spoke, she sounded accusing. "You know Sakura?"

The familiar name caused him to look to his side, to the closet that contained some of Sakura's clothes, and he saw it was opened. He also noticed a shirt of Sakura's lying on the bed. He looked at Ino again. "Yeah, I do. Judging from your reaction, I suppose you do too."

Ino was about to get angry, she wanted to get angry, but she couldn't. Not when she saw the guy's entire demeanor change from playful, to serious, to… chilling. His eyes were sharp as he watched her like a hawk and he stood poised, perfectly still. It reminded her of a predator on the hunt. A surge of warning overcame her, a feeling of danger, and her instinct told her to run, to get out of there as soon as possible.

But she stood frozen and didn't move as he closed in on her, not looking like the charming young man that had caught her interest only a couple of hours ago at all. He stopped in front of her, seeming to tower over her even though he wasn't that much taller than she was. His entire aura made Ino feel small and insignificant.

"It's unfortunate that you know her…" Deidara left not much space between them, essentially trapping her into the corner of the room. He closed his eyes and sighed with a mix of irritation and disappointment. "Really unfortunate, hmm…"

When he opened his eyes, Ino felt herself quiver inside from the sheer intensity of his gaze. A foreboding feeling of imminent danger took hold of her soul. She almost couldn't bring herself to speak, her mind filling up with doubts and worries. Was this really a teacher? Sakura had seemed shocked to see him on the photo she'd sent in their group chat. Was Haruka who he said he was? Was it even his real name?

Ino swallowed, and mustered up the courage to speak. "Who… are you?"

The blond man didn't answer, but the grin that appeared on his face said more than a thousand words could ever convey. Ino's fearful eyes widened as his hand came up and went to her throat, silencing her scream.

* * *

Sasori and Sakura were walking on the sidewalk alongside a quiet street in the lush green neighborhood of Century Park.

"Thank you for this wonderful day. I had a great time, really." She whirled around and walked backwards, facing him.

They came to a stop in front of the luxurious apartment building that Sakura had recently moved in to.

"Yes, me too," he responded, graciously allowing her the sight of a smile of his that appeared remarkably sincere. "Well, we're here. I already sent Deidara a text, we're out on a job." The girl nodded in understanding, and he stepped forward before taking her hands in his and bringing them up to his lips. "Until we meet again," he spoke in a sultry voice, keeping her eyes locked with his own.

It made Sakura giggle a little. "Oh, you…" She took her hands back as he let go of them and shook her head slightly. "I'll see you on Monday I guess. Bye." She walked away from him and entered the building.

She had barely disappeared through the door when the gate leading to the private driveway opened and with a loud roaring engine, a car drove out onto the street, making a sharp turn and stopping right next to Sasori. The window rolled down, revealing a blond young man sitting in the driver's seat.

"Really," Sasori remarked dryly, "a Porsche?"

His partner's not so impressed voice didn't faze Deidara in the slightest. A smug, cocky grin appeared on his face because he was clearly happy with himself and his brand new car. "Yes," he replied. "I don't suppose you got a problem with that, hmm? Unless you want us to go with your car. Oh wait… you don't have a car." A sardonic chuckle followed after this rude statement.

"I have no need for a car," Sasori answered a question that wasn't asked. "Public transportation works just fine for me, and when I do have a need for a car, I simply steal one. But when I do…" He gave Deidara a sharp look, eyes narrowed. "I don't steal a goddamn Porsche."

Deidara's eyes rose up into his forehead, faking an innocent look. "Who said I stole it, hmm?" When Sasori did nothing but stare at him with suspicious, non-trusting eyes, he dropped the look and shrugged. "Was hanging around a hotel, this guy thought I was part of personnel, gave me the keys, I got a car. Didn't put in any effort, didn't even feel like stealing, hmm."

Sasori sighed and walked around the car to get in at the passenger seat's door. He pulled the door closed with a bang and told the blond that yes, it was in fact stealing. "And you should get rid of this vehicle first thing you can," he continued his rant. "The police are probably already looking for it. No doubt the rich guy wants his car back."

"You think I'm stupid or what?" Deidara peered at his redheaded partner—whose face nearly spelled the word 'yes' at his question that was supposed to be rhetorical—as he drove away from his neighborhood. "I've already changed the license plate. He won't find it back, period."

_I wonder about that_, Sasori thought, but decided to keep it to himself. He wondered about lots of things Deidara did that either bothered or annoyed him, or both. What he had found out: it was no use wasting his precious time on something as mundane as a nuisance called Deidara. He could think of better ways to spend his time.

After a thirty minute drive they entered Northern Hights. While driving, Deidara eyed the rundown buildings with disdain. A memory flitted through his mind, and he instantly had to smile. Leering at his partner, he started to speak. "Must be nice to live here, hmm."

These words pulled Sasori out of his distant thoughts. He frowned, not remembering when he ever told the brat where he lived. Then it occurred to him: Sakura. Despite the nice day he'd spend with her, he felt himself get pissed off. He'd have a word with her later.

"So, are you planning to move sometime soon?" Deidara baited, patiently waiting for Sasori to react in a way that amused him. He liked riling his partner up. He got no reaction whatsoever, so he just continued with pestering. "Have nice neighbors? Damn, I'd like some dealers at every corner too, so convenient, hmm."

A blank-faced Sasori stared out the front window, tuning the other's voice out. Last thing he wanted was allowing Deidara the joy of being able to get a rise out of him.

"You also live so close to Kakuzu's. No wonder you say you don't need a car, hmm. I gotta say I'm really not surprised you live here. After all, you're all about blending in and not being conspicuous if I remember correctly." Deidara thought back to the day they met, about two weeks ago. "I must say, you do a great job standing behind your statements. People here are as fucked up as they come. You fit in nicely, hmm."

They arrived at Kakuzu's and Sasori briskly exited the car the moment he got the chance. He didn't wait for Deidara to follow him and made his way upstairs. Ten minutes later the both of them sat on the sofa in the luxurious room on the tenth floor, looking at the papers Kakuzu handed them.

"Your job," the tall, older man started, "Is to find this kid and apprehend him. You can't kill him, not yet anyway. That's something for later."

"Doesn't sound too difficult," Deidara spoke, staring at the photograph added to the information. "Naruto Uzumaki, huh."

"This will be your first big hit together," Kakuzu continued. "It's an important one. Contrarily to your previous assignments, this has to be done discreetly."

"You hear that," Sasori remarked, turning his attention to Deidara. "_Discreet_. Still think it won't be too difficult for you, brat?"

"I handle discretion just fine, thank you," the blond retorted.

Sasori smirked. "Idiot, no you can't. You couldn't even if your life depended on it."

Deidara was about to argue but Kakuzu silenced them. "Enough," his dark voice droned through the room. "Cooperate and succeed, or fail and face the consequences. Got it, you two?" What he got was silence, together with agitated expressions, though the two sitting in front of him did their best to conceal it. "Good. You know the drill. Don't disappoint me. Or rather, don't disappoint the organization. This assignment is part of a series, and we're putting our best men on it. It is the reason you two were teamed up together."

His last words were what got Sasori's attention. "A series… that is executed at the same time? Are the others working in teams as well?"

"Yes and yes," Kakuzu replied, "But I can't tell you much about it. Just see completing this job as… a part in the greater scheme of things, if you may." He looked them both in the eyes. "You must succeed. I can't stress that enough."

"Being paired up, emphasizing that we must succeed…" Sasori watched him with his keen, brown eyes, contrasting to his apparently bored facial expression, though Kakuzu knew better. "It's like you don't trust us to carry this out to completion. I'd hate to think you hold such low expectations…"

Kakuzu sat up, leaning back in his seat. "Don't get me wrong, I have faith in you two. You are one of the best we have, that's why you've been chosen. But you are also young… and sometimes foolish." He paused, noticing that Sasori was about to say something to this, but the redhead decided against speaking up and chose to stay silent. "I want you to know that this is not the time to experiment. You are professionals at what you do and I expect the best of you. Am I clear?"

Sasori nodded, although stiffly. He did not appreciate being called young and foolish all in one sentence. But he held his tongue because he respected and acknowledged Kakuzu as his superior… for the time being. Feeling a bit ticked off, he went through the information in his hands and looked at the photograph.

He blinked as he discovered that the person in the picture seemed vaguely familiar. He frowned down at the boy with short blond hair and blue eyes, staring in the camera with a bright smile. That's when it clicked and the memory fell into place; he had seen him at school over a week ago. He hadn't seen him again afterwards, so he probably didn't go to school at Juudai.

The boy had been with Sakura.

_Wait a minute_, Sasori thought, _didn't she say her friends went to another school?_

The gears in his mind worked at top speed as he figured out where he knew the kid from, who he was, where he could find him and how he could get to him.

"Perfect," Sasori muttered quietly.

Deidara and Kakuzu looked up from their conversation. "What's perfect, hmm?"

"I know this kid, Naruto. I saw him at my school last week. He's friends with Sakura."

Deidara's eyes went wide. "What?" Again, he couldn't believe how priceless she turned out to be.

"Good thing you let her live then," Kakuzu said, calmly nodding in appreciation. "You could use her… Well, I'm sure I don't need to tell you." Sasori shook his head with a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.

"What?" Deidara repeated himself. "You almost killed her _too_, hmm?"

Sasori looked at his partner. "Excuse me brat? When exactly did you try to get her killed?"

"Last Tuesday," the blond answered. "Before I found out she has a contact in Garuda District."

This time it was Sasori's turn to say "What?" Kakuzu, too, looked at him in surprise.

"I got your text after my assignment with Hidan," Deidara started, looking at Sasori, "So I went to retrieve her after school. But I really didn't want to deal with her, so I tried to get rid of her, sending her on a little suicide mission. Fuck did I know, she actually got a doodle of mine delivered to Orochimaru himself, like I instructed her to do, hmm."

"Jesus," Sasori whispered, shaking his head slowly. The brat had guts. That Sakura…

"I didn't think she'd succeed," Deidara admitted. "But she made it work. She explained to me she had… a cousin of a friend or something, that she knew, who she had it deliver for her. Originally, when she came back, I had planned to do away with her because she's like a damn leech and I don't like to be tied, hmm. But when I learned of this contact of hers I decided to keep her near. She was in need of a place to stay after all."

It was silent for about a minute as the other two men let the information sink in. "Pray tell me, why…" Kakuzu's voice sounded dangerously low, "…did you not tell me this earlier?"

"Didn't think it was important." Deidara could almost physically feel Kakuzu's aura becoming heavy with anger. "But," he added quickly, "I told Pain immediately afterwards. Figured he'd want to know, hmm."

Sasori heard a name he hadn't heard before. "Who is this 'pain'?" He had a feeling it was somebody important… and if that was true, he hated Deidara.

"Pain is…" Icy blue eyes flitted to Kakuzu for approval, which he got. "Pain is the organization's leader. Nobody gets to see him or speak to him in person, hmm."

Oh yes, he definitely hated him. Sasori's brown eyes narrowed with poorly hidden antipathy towards his partner. Normally he'd try his best to refrain himself from showing much, if any, emotion on his face. But he didn't even care now. He loathed Deidara. "And why are you so special?" His words were venomous.

A smirk appeared on Deidara's face. He had expected this kind of reaction from the redhead, but he hadn't dreamed it would be so intense. "Because unlike you, I was recruited by Pain himself." _Suck on that_ , Deidara thought gleefully.

Sasori felt about ready to strangle Deidara. "You filthy little—"

"Silent!" Kakuzu's voice thundered through the room. "You two have obviously got issues together, but this is neither the time nor place to settle them. Nor is it when your new assignment begins, which is now! Pull your shit together."

Begrudged, the two young men sitting in front of Kakuzu went quiet and looked away from each other.

"Sakura has her part cut out for her, and I trust you'll use her to her full potential. She will not be killed unless Pain informs us otherwise. At the same time, she will not be made aware that this assignment involves her. That shouldn't be too hard, she seemed like a naive one."

"Really? You've met her before, hmm?" Deidara asked, and got a nod in return. He frowned. "When did that happen?"

"Last Monday," Kakuzu replied. "Because Sasori thought she knew what we did."

"She said you told her," Sasori hissed, glaring to his side where Deidara sat.

The blond huffed indignantly. "What kind of moron do you think I am, hmm?"

"A big one."

"Why you—"

"Shush." Kakuzu rubbed his forehead with his right hand. "You two are getting me a headache. What are you, children?"

"He might as well be," Sasori murmured, looking out the windows.

"Fuck you," Deidara spat.

"Enough of this." Kakuzu stood up, ending the conversation. "Take the info, read it through, destroy it. You have three weeks, max." With this, he left the room and disappeared into his office, grumbling all the way there.

When the two walked out the building, Deidara stepped into the car and rolled the window down. However, before he could say the words "You're not getting in this car again, you fucker", Sasori told him he was going to walk home. This was entirely fine by Deidara. "Just one thing," he told Sasori.

Sasori cocked his head up. "What?"

"I'm gonna clear up some loose ends. Make sure you're available tonight, hmm."

The redhead raised an eyebrow. "Loose ends? What mess did you get yourself in now, idiot?"

He ignored the name calling. "It's for the assignment," Deidara emphasized. "I'm sure you've noticed Sakura's got issues with her parents. Well, I'm about to resolve them, hmm."

"Right," Sasori responded. "One last thing though. What were you doing today at Shodai High School as a freaking teacher?"

Deidara's eyebrows rose up, surprised as he was that Sasori knew where he had been that day. This truly was a day of revelations, both Sasori and he getting to know all the things they'd kept secret from each other. "I was told to be there, hmm. I had no choice whatsoever, the order came from the organization, weird as it sounds." He shrugged and laughed a little. "I do like teaching though. The chicks aren't half bad either, hmm." His voice then took on a bit more of a suspicious undertone. "How'd you find out?"

"I took Sakura's phone at school and went through her messages. Apparently her friends were in your class and they took a picture of you. I was quite… surprised."

Deidara frowned. "I'll put a new rule in place then. No use of mobile phones during class, hmm. It appears I've been too lenient."

"Naturally."

Deidara whipped his head around. "Don't you start with me."

Sasori raised his hands in a 'don't shoot me' gesture. "Relax. For now, we… must… cooperate together, for the sake of our job. I'll try to hold back." His hands came down. "On the condition that you do too."

The two partners eyed each other in a silent agreement. "Fine," Deidara said before emitting a sigh. "For now, hmm. Well, I'm off. Later!" With a loud roar of the engine, the Porsche sped off.

* * *

With a relieved sigh, Sakura pushed her school books away from her. She was almost done. The only classes she still needed to do homework for, was for history and trigonometry—because Sasori had returned the book during their date that day, which meant she needed to make a few days' worth of homework. Looking at the list of assignments for trigonometry, she felt her mood sink. _You know what_, she thought, _I've got a whole weekend ahead of me; I'll save it for later._ She was usually not one to procrastinate, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Well, 'desperate times' was perhaps not the right description of that day. Happy times would be better. So happy that working on trigonometry would make her sad and ruin her happy day.

So she started to work on her history homework and laughed aloud when she remembered it was about World War II. Automatically, her thoughts went back to the movie she'd seen with Sasori that afternoon, Inglorious Basterds. Oh, how she loved that movie. If only the real World War II had ended like that.

She read the first question of a series of questionnaires.

_Read chapters 13 and 14 before answering questions 1-6._

_1) Name three major happenings that preceded the end of WWII and describe why they influenced the end of the war._

Sakura sighed again, though briefly. Well, at least history was a hell of a lot more interesting than trigonometry.

The sound of her mobile phone vibrating on the floor caught her attention and she picked it up. A new message in her inbox.

_Yo sakura, fun chat today! Have you heard anything from ino yet? We were supposed to meet up around 7ish but she didnt show. xXx10  
09/04/2009  
20:47:10_

Didn't show? Sakura frowned while she typed a reply, asking where Ino was last seen. The answer she got was disturbing her to say the least.

_She went out with the hot sub after school, thats the last we know. Her mom says she hasnt come home and she didnt meet with us either. Lil bit worried here /sadface xXx10  
09/04/2009  
20:48:59_

Ino went out with the substitute teacher? "But that's Deidara," Sakura thought aloud. And seeing that she lived in Deidara's apartment, she could safely say that Ino wasn't around here. And Deidara was out on a job, so she wasn't with him either. Then where could she be?

The thought of Ino and Deidara going out together made her feel like writing /sadface down on her assignments, but she decided against it. What could they have done together? Had they gone out on a date? Had they kissed?

A scowl immediately appeared on her face when she imagined Deidara in a mouth-lock with her best friend. It grossed her out and made her jealous. Deidara was hers.

This made her stop her train of thought for a moment. "Mine?" she said. "Deidara is… mine?" The words rolled off her tongue awkwardly. She shook her head and made a face. That sounded so claiming, and she wasn't a claiming kind of person. At least, not that she knew of. But then again, how often had she been romantically involved with anyone? Right, never.

She made a promise to herself right then and there that she would never say those words again. "Insert-name-here is mine is something I'll never say again," she spoke pledgefully. Unless I'm married, she added in her mind in an afterthought.

_I can't claim Deidara as mine anyway,_ she thought and emitted a heartfelt sigh. _Because first off, I'm not allowing him to do much other than occasionally kissing. And he thinks I've got some STD. Not cool. Why would he want something more with me anyway._

"Ugh," she moaned and let her head fall onto a pillow. She felt miserable. What a terrible thing to happen on her self-proclaimed happy day. "Thunk huppeh thoughts," she admonished herself, words deformed by talking through the pillow.

And her mind did as told, drifting away to happier thoughts. To the afternoon, the movie, the evening, the restaurant. To Sasori.

He had acted so… so… wonderful. For the first time since she had met him, she had thought of him as serious boyfriend material. He hadn't been as stiff as usual, as stuck up, as arro—no, he was arrogant. Always the arrogant one. But his ego was the main reason why he held his head up high, for his confident demeanor. And his arrogance together with his intelligence and his admittedly very good looks—though she had once referred to him as girly and emo—was somehow strikingly attractive to her.

She wondered if Sasori thought of her as serious girlfriend material. Thinking back to the past few weeks, Sasori was the kind of person who could basically get any girl he wanted. His previous girlfriend had been Ami, and she was very different from herself. Ami was a popular, stuck up rich bitch, and Sakura didn't like to think of herself that way. Well, she didn't meet most of the criteria anyway. But maybe she was a bitch.

After all, what the hell did she think she was doing? Leading both Deidara and Sasori on… Was she playing them?

An awful feeling settled in her stomach as she realized that yes, yes she was. And thinking back on all the conversations she'd ever had with her friends and the definitions they had for a bitch… a girl who played with multiple guys at the same time certainly met the criteria.

Then again, Ino openly referred to herself as a bitch. And she was proud of it, the crazy girl.

And there it happened, she was back to the start of her foul mood.

Ino was gone. She had gone missing after going on a date with Deidara. The guy she lived with. One of the guys she liked. But really, who was to blame for this? No one. Ino didn't know she lived with Deidara and liked him. Deidara didn't know Ino was her best friend. She hadn't known Ino would actually go out with him. It was simply a series of unfortunate events.

But this realization didn't make the situation any less hard to deal with.

Groaning, Sakura stood up, abandoning her schoolwork, and went to the kitchen to get herself a drink. When she got back to her assignments lying all over the carpet on the floor and checked her mobile, she saw she had another incoming message.

_Sweetheart, I've had a good talk with your father and it's over. I'm sorry for everything that's happened so far, I never should have let it come to this. I kicked him out, he's not coming back. Please come back home, I'm begging you. We'll start over, just the two of us. I love you. You're my only child. Please come home to me, things will change for the better, I promise. I'm thinking of moving back to Woodland Hills, I think you'll like being close to your friends again right? I know you haven't been feeling good at your new school, and I'm so sorry for neglecting your needs until now. I'm sorry for not having been there for you. From now on, you are my first priority as it should be. I love you Sakura, please come home soon. I miss you, I miss being a family. I'm sorry I've let things escalate so far. I will make it right, please, come back home. Love, mom  
09/04/2009  
21:10:54_

Green eyes stared at the screen of her phone, reading the message over again, and again, and again… until she was sure it was real, that every word in it was really there.

Convinced that this wasn't an illusion, Sakura stood up and started pacing through the room. She abandoned her phone on the couch, preventing herself from typing a hasty spur of the moment text message back to her mother. She needed to think about this.

Was it a trick?

Her parents had tried many times to get her back home whenever they'd had an episode. It was the same old song time and time again: arguments, fights, sending her out, feeling regret, asking her back, making up, and over again. It had been like that for a couple of years now, ever since her fourteenth.

It seemed like her mother went through another one of her regret phases. But this time a couple of things were different. Her parents had never gone as far as breaking up. It sounded like her mother was serious about this… starting over. Was it true? Would things be different from now on?

Something else to consider was the fact that she had moved in with Deidara. He had bought her tons of stuff, spent incredulous amounts of money on her. When was the last time her parents gave her that much attention or treated her like she was special and loved? To be honest, she didn't think she wanted to experience being kicked out again, ever.

But… she also had something to resolve with Deidara. Why was he teaching at her friends' school? The idea suddenly struck her that if she moved back to Woodland Hills with her mother and attended Shodai High again, she'd have Deidara as her teacher.

Sakura stopped pacing, now standing in the bedroom, before sitting down and looking up at the ceiling with wide eyes. Deidara as her history teacher? A weird expression crossed her face. It was mind boggling.

Then the most important issue: Ino's disappearance. Deidara might have something to do with it, according to her information thus far. All evidence seemed to point to him, unless he had a twin brother named Haruka—which she deemed highly unlikely.

So Ino had gone with Deidara after school… and sometime later she was missing, Deidara had left for a job and there was nobody else in the apartment. So where did Ino go? What had happened to her?

The pink haired girl frowned and let out a sigh. Maybe she should call her mother.

Her face lit up. Actually, it wasn't that bad of an idea.

Jumping off the bed she ran to the couch, plopped down, picked up her phone and searched for her mother's number. A moment of hesitation crawled through her mind, though not for long.

"Mom? It's me, Sakura."

The enthusiastic voice on the other end of the line gladly answered her questions and reassured her that her father had left, definitely. And while Sakura didn't quite know how to feel about her father leaving, her mom sounded so sure of the situation getting better that her own mood started to catch on. She heard no begging, the usual arguments weren't heard, the sharp edge of her mother's voice it so often carried was gone. Sakura began to realize that she really did feel reassured that it was going to be okay this time.

"_I'm glad you found a place to stay while your dad and I worked everything out… not so smoothly at times, I admit,"_ the older woman laughed a little. _"But you don't need to stay there anymore. And to be honest, you staying with a guy you just met doesn't sound like the greatest idea you've ever had."_

Sakura frowned at her mother's words, but truth be told, if she'd heard of someone else having done the things that had happened to her, she would have thought it sounded fishy too. "But I like it here mom, he's good to me and he's not doing anything weird, I promise it's the truth. You don't have to worry."

A sigh was heard through the phone. _"Look, you don't have to move back immediately if you don't want to. I'm glad we're able to speak to each other again without arguing and I'm really happy you're willing to hear me out. I love you sweetheart."_

"I know mom." And, after a second, she added: "I love you too." She was surprised she could still say it and mean it. At the same time, she was happy for it.

"_You know what? Come over here and we'll talk things through. I can't wait to see you again."_

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, sure! I'll come over in a few, see you in… about an hour, I think."

"_Wonderful! I'm hearing the doorbell so I'll hang up now, but I'll see you in an hour then. Bye sweetie!"_

"Bye mom," she answered.

Standing up, she threw her phone on the couch and cheered loudly, feeling absolutely exhilarated. She felt like she had her mother back at last, after years of feeling detached to her there was finally a connection again.

Filled to the brim with joy, Sakura ran across the living room and into the bathroom, changing out of her clothes and taking a quick shower. When she was done, she brushed her hair and put on new clothes, which took longer than she would have imagined. Every day since Deidara had gotten her a new wardrobe she was surprised at the amount of beautiful clothes she had. It was hard to pick, because Sakura wanted to impress her mother and show her how good Deidara had been to her and that there was truly nothing to worry about.

Finally, after the fifth set of discarded clothes were thrown onto the bed, Sakura had found the outfit she deemed perfect for the occasion. Utterly satisfied, the happy girl started with hanging the clothes back onto the rack in the closet, but one look at the time display on the dvd player stopped her endeavors immediately. "Shit," she muttered, dropping all the clothes in her arms, effectively letting them fall into a heap on the floor.

The sound of a slamming door alerted her to Deidara's return. Sakura walked into the living room, seeing a happy looking Deidara drop his phone onto the couch and sit down. "Hey gorgeous, hmm," he greeted her with a smile.

"You look happy," she commented as she walked over to him.

"Well perceived," he retaliated. "I am happy, the job went great."

"Super! So I'm going out for a bit, I'll return in a couple of hours." She wanted to question him about Ino, but if she waited around any longer she wouldn't be able to make it to her mother in time.

"Sure, hmm." He raised an eyebrow, looking at her skeptically as she grabbed her phone off the couch and hastily made her leave.

"Bye Deidara, see you later!" she energetically cheered him goodbye and disappeared behind the closing door.

* * *

It was dark by the time Sakura arrived at the station near her parents' house. From there it was only a couple blocks away, a ten minute walk. She felt elated, almost giddily moving though the familiar streets to the house she had often come to despise over the past months, but that was mainly because she hadn't wanted to deal with her nagging mother and patronizing father. She had never liked it in Oak Spring. The only people she knew in this neighborhood also attended Yuudai High… and she didn't like anyone in her current high school. Well, with the newfound exception being Sasori.

The mere thought of him brought back pleasant memories of their afternoon together and Sakura shook her head quickly, trying to get rid of the blush that appeared on her face.

She turned a corner and entered the last street that led to her destination. The sidewalk was pretty narrow, lined by trees—oak trees, true to the neighborhood's namesake—with standalone houses on either side of the street. Most front yards were simple and grassy, with a single driveway containing parked cars, if they hadn't been parked inside the garage that came with each house. Most inhabitants were home, seeing that the workday was over for the majority of people. After all, it was over 10:30 PM already.

There it was, her parents' house. Sakura crossed the street and walked up to the white front door before ringing the doorbell.

A nervous feeling settled in her stomach. Even though her mother had told her on the phone what she had planned for them both, Sakura wondered what was really going to happen from now on. Her father was gone, according to her mom. What was he going to do now? Just leave them be and butt out of their lives?

For some reason, this didn't sit right with Sakura. She never had much issues with her father… well, no more than she had with her mother. But apparently he hadn't been up for a change for the better, like her mother. Sakura didn't know what had happened in her absence, but then, she hadn't been home a lot these past couple of months. In fact, she and her parents had slowly become strangers to each other, a process that had been ongoing for years, ever since the fights started. So how would she knew what went on with her parents?

Sakura sighed deeply and closed her eyes. _Well, I guess I should have known there was going to be a breakup sooner or later,_ she thought. Her green eyes opened and stared at the door in front of her. She supposed her mother was right. It really was for the better, especially since they were going to move back to their old neighborhood. If her father hadn't wanted it, then she was better off without him because if that really was the case then he never held her best interest at heart at all.

She stopped her train of thought, the focus of her vision centered on the speck of light visible through the small curved window in the white door. What if her mother was lying? She would be the first to acknowledge that the woman that gave birth to her 17 years ago had quite an ambivalent character. One moment this, the other moment that. Her mood changed abruptly.

In a sudden moment of ironic clarity, Sakura realized who she had inherited her own temperamental issues from.

Dread filled her at the prospect of ending up like her mother, at the end of your rope in a failed marriage, having a miserable relationship with your only daughter that you're trying desperately to mend. Maybe it had been wrong to come here.

_No, she deserves a chance,_ Sakura told herself, shaking her head. The really dreadful thing that was coming, was trying to convince her mother that Deidara was trustworthy. If there was anything for her to worry about, it would be that issue. She recalled her mother having spoken to Deidara on the phone the day before. Yeah, that had gone really well. Deidara had probably left a wonderful impression on her mother.

Her eyes widened and an almost comically fearful expression appeared on her face. Her mother was never going to accept Deidara.

Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, hugging herself as she looked to the ground. Deidara screwed up big time yesterday. It was going to be hell trying to explain to her mother that he was a good guy.

She looked up and stared at the white door again, biting her lower lip softly. Stepping closer to the door, she peered through the small curved window. Why was her mother taking so long? She rang the doorbell again, longer this time. However, after another three minutes of waiting, her mother hadn't appeared yet. Frowning, Sakura lifted her fist and knocked loudly on the door.

To her surprise, the door slowly swayed open after her fist had made contact.

Sakura blinked, tentatively reaching for the door again and pushing it open some more, meeting no resistance. Had she really been waiting outside the door for at least ten minutes, while the door was open? She couldn't believe her eyes.

The dimly lit hallway in front of her was empty of life, lit only by a small candlelight that had been visible through the little window in the door. Eyebrows furrowed a little in suspicion, Sakura walked inside. "Mom?" she called out.

There was no response.

"Mom, I'm home!" Sakura called again. Hearing nothing, she huffed quietly and closed the front door before moving though the house, starting by opening the door leading to the living room.

The lights were on, but no one was there. The TV was turned on and the sounds of a talk show sounded softly through the room, suggesting that someone had been watching not too long ago. Sakura walked to the couch in front of the TV and reached down, her fingers going over the cushioned surface of the furniture. Her gaze drifted over to the table near the couch, eyeing the mug sitting on it. Brown liquid was to be seen inside, hot chocolate. Picking it up and bringing the mug up to her face, her senses were invaded by the feel of the mug in her hands, radiating warmth through her skin, and the delicious smell of the hot chocolate, not hot anymore but still warm. It had been made recently. Her mother couldn't be far away if she'd had this hot chocolate a couple of minutes ago.

"Mom?" Sakura called again, looking around the room, ensuring herself that she really was alone. She moved away, entering the kitchen. No one was there either. Placing the mug down on the counter, the girl walked out of the kitchen and left the living room, opting to go look upstairs.

Once she had reached the top of the stairs she halted, smelling a strange scent that she couldn't place. She looked around, but the lights were off so she barely saw a thing. Stepping though the dark hallway, her fingers trailed across the wall searching for the light switch. Once her fingers reached the switch, she turned the lights on and her eyes closed automatically, shielding her from the bright light intruding her vision.

When she opened her eyes again, she squinted as she adjusted to the lighting. But when she turned to the door of the master bedroom, her eyes widened to their fullest. The door was open and a person lay sprawled on the floor in an unnatural position.

Sakura's heart stopped at the sight of her mother… and it was her mother, right? It was a woman, that much was clear. Tentatively, she took slow and careful steps in the direction of the master bedroom, each step taking her closer to the figure sprawled in a heap on the floor. Each step giving her a more detailed picture of the sight in front of her. The last step giving her confirmation.

Her mother lay before her, her still body illuminated in the light coming from the hallway. Sakura's breath hitched as she realized that her mother wasn't breathing. Emerald green eyes watched the red puddle beside her mother's head, partly soaking her dyed blond hair.

"Mom?" Sakura didn't recognize her voice. It sounded so strangled. Unbelief was written on her face as she looked down. "Mom?" she repeated again, her voice softer than before. Her throat constricted, so tight that she felt like choking. Her mind vaguely registered the tears starting to drip down her cheeks.

She swallowed thickly, though it didn't improve her condition. In fact, when she opened her mouth to call out for her mother again, no sound came out. The gut wrenching feeling in her stomach caused her to tremble all over and suddenly, without her permission, the sobs started. She couldn't help herself.

Her knees shook and she lowered herself to the ground, next to her mother's still, unmoving body. Reaching out, her fingers touched her mother's cheek. Instantly, she retracted her hand and held it close to her chest. A strangled sob escaped her. Her mother hadn't died long ago, she was still warm.

In less than a moment Sakura was up on her feet and backed up until she hit the wall. Her teary eyes watched the door that she entered and she looked into the brightly lit hallway. Her heart hammered in her ribcage as she realized that the one who killed her mother might still be inside the house.

She gasped sharply and hugged herself, feeling so much pain in her body even though she wasn't injured at all. She let herself slide to the floor as the sobs started again, more intense this time. She felt scared, but more than that was the pure grief, incited by the sight of her dead mother lying before her. Her mother, who wanted to make up with her. Her mother, who wanted to start anew, who wanted her daughter back, who wanted to live happily together again. And she was here, they were going to make it happen, together, be happy again.

Sakura cried. She hated crying, she despised it. But all the pent up frustration, anger and grief made their way outside in the only way they knew how.

Her entire body shook with tremors as she thought about what needed to be done. She needed help. She needed to get up, get out and get help. But she couldn't find the strength to move, so she took out the phone she remembered she had with her. Activating it, she gazed uncomprehendingly at the screen in her hands.

This wasn't her phone. She had taken Deidara's.

Sakura sniffed and closed her eyes as she swallowed. Well, it didn't matter for now. She knew the number that needed to be called by heart, though she never thought she would need to dial it in her lifetime. Her trembling fingers typed 9-1-1 and she waited, taking a deep breath, mentally preparing herself to speak.

The next few minutes went by quickly, ending with the roaring sound of police cars closing in and the front door being busted open. Within moments the bedroom was entered by policemen and a bright shining torchlight found her sitting in the corner against the wall.

Everything that happened after that merged together in a big blur. She vaguely remembered the door to the bathroom attached to the master bedroom being opened, revealing the dead body of her father with a bullet through his head, blood sprayed on the white wall behind him.

This was the moment where her body unconsciously decided to stop functioning appropriately. She was taken out by people who spoke kind, reassuring words to her, but she heard none of it.

* * *

Happy birthday to Sasori, November 8th. Even though he doesn't actually age. He'll always stay 35 with the looks of someone in his teens. Lucky bastard.

To everyone that has too much time to kill or who just enjoys reading: I recommend the Hunger Games trilogy. It is a phenomenal read, absolutely awe inspiring.

Also, for those interested in the movie Sakura and Sasori saw... You can watch an... intriguing... trailer linked in my profile. Hehehe...

I won't give an exact date for the next update, but it won't take too long, I promise you that.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, I'd be most appreciative if you left your thoughts by reviewing.


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